March 2, 2008
SANTALUCES, Fla. – Boston College used a three-run home run from Tony Sanchez and solo home runs from Dave Laufer and Ryan Akel to defeat Notre Dame, 7-2, in college baseball action from the Papa John’s Palm Beach Challenge Sunday afternoon. The Irish now stand 3-3 on the year, while the Eagles improve to 4-3.
Boston College spoiled the homecoming of Notre Dame starting pitcher Wade Korpi (Lake Worth, FL).
Korpi (0-1) attended Santaluces H.S. and was pitching on the same fields he starred on in high school. Despite picking up the loss, Korpi did not pitch that poorly. The southpaw tossed 6.2 innings and allowed four earned runs on nine hits (three were infield hits). Korpi struckout seven and walked one.
The Eagles grabbed an early 2-0 lead in the top of the third inning with a pair of unearned runs, but the Irish cut the deficit in half following sophomore A.J. Pollock’s (Hebron, CT) RBI single scoring junior third baseman Evan Sharpley (Marshall, MI). Sharpley laced a two-out double and eventually raced around to score on Pollock’s run scoring single down the left field line.
Korpi kept the Eagles off the scoreboard until the top of the fifth inning when Boston College hit the first of its three home runs on the afternoon. After a leadoff single, Korpi retired the next two batters, but Tony Sanchez belted a three-run home run deep over the left field wall to make the score, 5-1.
The four-run cushion would be more than enough for Eagles starter James MacDonald (1-0). The right-handed hurler scattered seven hits over 8.0 innings and allowed just two runs, one earned, en route to the victory. MacDonald struckout four and walked three.
Boston College would add a pair of solo home runs in the seventh and ninth inning, while senior left fielder Ross Brezovsky (Naples, FL) would drive in junior second baseman Jeremy Barnes (Garland, TX) with a single to finish the scoring at 7-2.
Barnes was the only Irish player with more than one hit. He went 2-for-4 with a RBI and two doubles.
Notre Dame returns to action on Tuesday against Maine (2:00 p.m.) at the Papa John’s Palm Beach Challenge in Santaluces, Fla. The game can heard live on ESPN Radio 1490 AM and UND.com.
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