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Weekly Recap: Boston College Baseball Goes 1-3, Gets Swept by #14 NC State
Boston College baseball had a full slate of games this past week, with a midweek matchup against UNC Wilmington before their first ACC series of the year against No. 14 NC State over the weekend. Birdball went 1-3 on its road trip and fell to 7-6 (0-3) on the season. BC’s offense scored 35 times in four games, but the pitching staff struggled mightily, surrendering 39 runs. At this point in the year, there is still plenty of time for the Eagles’ pitchers to turn things around, but the staff is certainly the weakness of this team. It may be up to the Birdball bats to win games for this team as the year continues.
Offensive fireworks are becoming a theme with this year’s Birdball team and they lit up the scoreboard again on Tuesday against the UNC Wilmington Seahawks. In this matchup of bird mascots, the Eagles tallied 14 hits and took the game by a score of 14-7. Sean Hard started the game for BC, pitching one inning and giving up a two-run homer, but the Eagles took the lead in the second and didn’t give it back.
Birdball scored three runs in the second and five in the third to take an 8-2 lead in the ballgame. In the top of the second inning, Sam McNulty came to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs and worked a walk. Patrick Roche smacked a two-run single to left field to give BC a 3-2 lead.
In the third, BC scored five runs on just one hit and one error. Nick Wang led off the frame with a single and Vince Cimini and Wolff walked to load the bases. Wang scored on a sac fly from Parker Landwehr and another walk loaded the bases again, this time for Magpoc. He beat out a throw to first and a throwing error by the Seahawks allowed all three Eagles to score, giving BC a 7-2 lead. Magpoc moved to third on a wild pitch and McNulty walked. McNulty attempted to steal second and got himself caught in a rundown, allowing Magpoc to steal home and extend the Eagles’ lead to 8-2.
BC pitching allowed two runs in the third and fifth and one more in the seventh, but UNC Wilmington was never really back in the game thanks to BC’s offense. After their five-run third inning, Birdball scored again in every inning except for the fifth. Cameron Leary mashed two solo homers, his third and fourth of the year, and Cimini, Roche, and Wolff all collected RBI.
Five BC batters finished with multiple hits and six finished with at least one RBI. Brian McMonagle earned his first win of the year after pitching two innings and giving up two runs on three hits and three strikeouts. Jordan Fisse and Gavin Hasche both pitched scoreless innings and BC pitching collected 18 strikeouts in the game as Birdball notched its seventh win of 2024.
Due to bad weather conditions that were forecasted for Saturday, the Eagles kicked off ACC play with a doubleheader on Friday against No. 14 NC State, dropping both games. The Eagles lost the first game 5-4 in 11 innings, despite two strong pitching outings.
John West made his fourth start of the year and went 6.1 innings, giving up four runs and striking out five batters. Tyler Mudd finished the game for BC, throwing 4.1 innings and punching out six. But he was also tagged with the loss after he gave up a walk-off bloop single to the Wolfpack.
The Eagles trailed 4-0 in the sixth inning before RBI singles by Landwehr and Roche brought BC within one. They tied the game in the eighth on another RBI single from Roche, but ultimately lost in the 11th inning.
In the second game of the day, Birdball matched the Wolfpack step for step until the bullpen faltered in the sixth. A.J. Colarusso started for the Eagles and pitched five innings of one-run ball on two hits and five strikeouts. Wang tied the game at 1-1 in the third inning with a solo shot, his third homer of the year.
But with Michael Farinelli on in relief, NC State scored seven runs in the sixth inning on six hits, two walks, and one error, putting the game comfortably out of reach. The Eagles only managed four hits in the game, although their offense would turn around in the final game of the series.
In Sunday’s matinee, BC and NC State scored 34 combined runs in a game where pitching was a total afterthought. The Eagles trailed 7-1 entering the fourth inning before Wolff hit a solo home run in the fourth and Wang, Leary, and Wolff hit three solo shots in the fifth.
The Wolfpack answered back by scoring four runs in the bottom of the frame and another in the sixth to take a 12-6 lead. BC scored once in the seventh, but NC State scored four more times in the same inning. The Eagle offense put up a valiant effort by scoring five runs in the eighth off of homers by Caraher and Wang and a single by Wolff.
NC State was ahead, 18-12, entering the ninth inning when BC took its last at-bats. The Eagles loaded the bases for Roche, who hammered a pitch to left field for a grand slam, but that would end the scoring for the game and BC lost 18-16. Wang collected three hits and six RBI, Roche had two hits and four RBI, and Wolf had four hits and three RBI.
The weekend might not have gone well, but there are plenty of games left on the schedule. Birdball will have a chance to end its three-game losing streak on Tuesday in a home game against Merrimack.
So you’re saying there’s a chance? Despite an abysmal start to the 2026 season, the Boston Red Sox remain in the mix for a playoff spot. At least according to FanGraphs, who gives the club a 27.1% chance of reaching the postseason.
Boston’s likely path to October means winning the wild card. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 26.1% chance of winning an American League wild card. The team currently sits threes games back of the third and final wild card, despite a record of 25-33.
Don’t look for a division title this year in Beantown. FanGraphs gives the Red Sox a 1% chance of winning the AL East. Which makes sense, since the team currently sits in last place, 11.5 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays.
But SI’s Tom Verducci and Will Laws thinks Boston has a much tougher chance of making the playoffs. In their deep dive of the postseason, the pair came up with what they call the “Line of Doom.” According to their research, a team that starts “no better than 23–31 and your season is almost over only one-third of the way through the schedule.” Here’s why.
“In the wild card era (since 1995), only one team made the postseason starting with less than 22 wins in the first 54 games, the 2005 Astros (20–34). Of the 231 teams to start 23–31 or worse, only seven made the playoffs—once every 33 times,” Verducci and Laws note.
“Since the postseason field expanded in 2022, 31 teams began 23–31 or worse. Only one, the 2024 Mets (22–32), made the playoffs. That leaves such slow starters with a 1 in 31 chance—virtually the same as the larger sample size,” the pair add.
“The fact is one-third of the season does a good job separating pretenders from contenders. And as the calendar flips to June, understand that the playoff spots won’t change very much. In the four seasons with 12 playoff spots up for grabs, teams in playoff position when May ended kept a playoff spot 73% of the time—35 of 48 teams,” Verducci and Laws conclude.
So what does this have to do with the Red Sox, you ask? It’s Boston’s record after 54 games: 23-31. The “Line of Doom.”
More MLB: Red Sox Legend Backs ‘Worried’ John Henry
What should have been a quiet off-day for the Boston Red Sox has devolved into chaos.
Chief baseball officer Craig Breslow was the subject of a profile article in The Boston Globe that didn’t paint a sunny picture of his tenure, including a tough nugget about his relationship with legend Theo Epstein. But Breslow’s harshest critic of the day was probably the father of one of his ex-players.
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Hunter Dobbins made his second major league appearance on Sunday since being traded from the Red Sox in the deal that brought Willson Contreras to Boston. After Dobbins pitched well and featured his sinker more than expected, his father Lance Dobbins took to social media to excoriate the Red Sox and Breslow.
Lance Dobbins’ latest comments harsher than the first
We covered Lance Dobbins’ initial comments from late Sunday night that seemed to be directed at the Red Sox organization already on Boston Red Sox On SI. But on Monday evening, the elder Dobbins reentered the fray to absolve pitching coach Andrew Bailey of any blame, effectively throwing Breslow under the bus.
When asked if Breslow replacing Chaim Bloom as chief baseball officer led to Hunter throwing less sinkers and fewer four-seam fastballs in the Red Sox organization, Lance responded with this:
Yes! In Bailey’s defense he wanted the addition, but people behind computers make those decisions. The coaching staff is literally working with one hand tied behind their backs. Driveline is the answer to everything, but winning games! Ask yourself, why are so many of our guys…
— Lance Dobbins (@lpdobbins) June 1, 2026
“Yes! In Bailey’s defense he wanted the addition, but people behind computers make those decisions. The coaching staff is literally working with one hand tied behind their backs. Driveline is the answer to everything, but winning games!
“Ask yourself, why are so many of our guys always injured (pitchers and position players), it’s not by pure bad luck. Pitchers are having constant issues and hitters are always hurting hands and wrist. It’s not a league wide problem. It has to be fixed or we’ll never win because half of our starters will always be on the IL.”
That last point has to hit home for the Red Sox because star outfielder Roman Anthony (who debuted in the majors a couple of months after Hunter Dobbins) has now had two long-lasting injuries that occurred on swings — an oblique strain in September that ended his season prematurely, and a partially torn finger ligament that has held him out of action since May 4, with no end in sight.
Monday just wasn’t a good day in the public relations department for the Red Sox front office, or for Breslow in particular. But it’s worth noting that Dobbins has only made two appearances in a Cardinals uniform, allowing four earned runs in eight innings, taking a loss and earning a save.
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Scenic Six
Seasonal train rides, Bristol’s historic Fourth of July celebration, Duck Tour discounts, and more.
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Welcome back to Scenic Six.
I hope everyone had a lovely holiday weekend. We visited friends in Wells, Maine and then explored nearby Ogunquit (recently named the best beach town in New England by Boston.com readers). Though the weather wasn’t the best, outdoor dining was still hopping and the streets were full of people. It’s always a good vibe in Ogunquit.
This week, I’m writing about two New England towns named among the most welcoming in America, a first-of-its-kind remote terminal for Logan Airport, the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in the nation, Boston Duck Tour discounts, and more.
These New England towns roll out the welcome mat
If you’re looking for a happy getaway, two New England towns were just named on a World Atlas list of 12 of the most welcoming towns in America: Bar Harbor, Maine and Burlington, Vermont. Both are hosting free festivals and other community events this summer, adding even more reasons for a Maine or Vermont escape this season.
Need a ride? Consider a seasonal train
I’m a big fan of train travel because it’s relaxing and stress free. The CapeFlyer between Boston and Cape Cod resumed this past weekend and the Berkshire Flyer between the Berkshires and New York City starts back up on June 12 (with expanded service).
Attend the oldest continuous 4th of July celebration in America
Believe it or not, Independence Day is just around the corner and one of the best celebrations in America is in Bristol, R.I., according to USA Today. The publication just named the Bristol Fourth of July Celebration among the best 4th of July celebrations in the nation (fun fact: this will be its 241st year).
Travel tips:
- Logan Airport passengers flying JetBlue and Delta Air Lines can soon skip airport security lines and go straight to their gate by using a first-of-its-kind remote terminal in Framingham, opening June 1.
- Celebrate America’s 250th birthday at Weir Farm National Historical Park in Ridgefield, Conn., the only national park dedicated to American painting, on June 14 (Flag Day) by attending the free event Art is Revolutionary. Guests will enjoy live music, plein air demonstrations, open house tours, refreshments, and art making activities.
Deals and steals:
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- Celebrate the 140th anniversary of Basin Harbor Resort & Boat Club in Vergennes, Vermont by booking the Summer Starts Early package, which takes 25% off weekdays and 10% off weekends on three-night stays taking place through June 18.
- Taking a Boston Duck Tour? Save up to $10 per ticket on tours departing before 10 a.m. by using the discount code EARLYDUCK. The discount is valid for online purchases only.
- Traveling by train? Save up to 60% off eight tickets on Amtrak when booking Amtrak Share Fares by using the code V291 on the Amtrak app. A two-day advance purchase is required.
I’ll leave you with this photo I took of the sunrise in Wells, Maine.
Where have you traveled lately? Please share your photos by sending them to [email protected] and they may be featured in an upcoming Scenic Six newsletter.
Whether you’re traveling this week or planning your next escape, enjoy the journey.
— Kristi
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