Final, Red Sox 5-2: Boston College drove in two runs against Austin Maddox in the seventh inning, but the Red Sox already had the game in hand. The final out came on a play at the plate.
The two biggest highlights of the Red Sox’s 5-2 victory over Boston College certainly were Christian Vazquez’s solo homer over everything in left field and Travis Shaw’s bases-clearing double over the right fielder’s head.
The Red Sox swept Thursday’s doubleheader, as Boston also defeated Northeastern in Game 1 by the same 5-2 score.
End 6th, Red Sox 5-0: A pickoff play ended the sixth inning, and we head to what could be the final half inning of the day with the Red Sox leading 5-0.
Austin Maddox is looking to record the final three outs for Boston.
Mid 6th, Red Sox 5-0: Miguel Celestino worked a scoreless sixth inning for the Red Sox.
End 5th, Red Sox 5-0: The Red Sox have broken this game open.
Travis Shaw tattooed a three-run double over the right fielder’s head in the fifth inning to give the Red Sox a commanding 5-0 lead.
Mookie Betts, one of Boston’s top prospects, entered the game in the fifth. He singled through the left side to help set the table for Shaw’s bases-clearing double.
Mid 5th, Red Sox 2-0:Â Tommy Layne held Boston College scoreless in the fifth inning.
Layne, a non-roster invitee, owns a career 2.84 ERA (eight earned runs in 25 1/3 innings) over parts of two major league seasons with the San Diego Padres.
End 4th, Red Sox 2-0: Christian Vazquez is known for his defense, but the promising young catcher made some noise with his bat in the fourth inning.
Vazquez drilled a two-out, solo homer over everything in left field. It was a good poke by the catcher, whose calling card remains his laser rocket arm.
Tommy Layne will be the new Red Sox pitcher in the fifth inning. Blake Swihart will take over for Vazquez behind the dish.
Mid 4th, Red Sox 1-0: Matt Barnes enjoyed a solid first outing of spring.
Alex Barnes pitched the fourth inning for Boston and retired the side in order, keeping the Red Sox’s 1-0 lead intact.
End 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Outfielder Corey Brown, who likely will begin the season at Triple-A Pawtucket, exited the game in the third inning with a hand injury.
Alex Hassan was robbed by third baseman Gabriel Hernandez to begin the inning. Hernandez went into a full dive along the third base line, popped up and fired a strong throw across the diamond.
Garin Cecchini, who grounded into a double play in his first at-bat, followed with a single into right field. Cecchini swiped second base with Brandon Snyder at the plate.
Snyder walked, setting up first and second for Brown, who fouled a pitch off his left hand. Brown was replaced by Matty Johnson after a visit from manager John Farrell and the team’s trainer.
Steve Green ultimately kept the Red Sox off the scoreboard, even helping himself with a nice play on a comebacker by Johnson.
Mid 3rd, Red Sox 1-0: Matt Barnes enjoyed a solid inning.
Stephen Sauter, Gabriel Hernandez and Blake Butera went down in order against the Red Sox’s right-handed prospect.
End 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox had a runner cut down at the plate in the second inning.
Travis Shaw followed a Bryce Brentz groundout with a single into right field. Heiker Meneses sent Shaw from first to third with a ground-rule double down the right field line.
Christian Vazquez drilled a ground ball to first base with one out. Shaw took off on contact, but first baseman John Hennessy fired a frozen rope to the plate to erase the potential run.
Brock Holt ended the inning with a little dribbler to the right side that pitcher Steve Green scooped up and flipped to first base.
Matt Barnes will be the new Red Sox pitcher in the third inning after two frames from Rubby De La Rosa.
Mid 2nd, Red Sox 1-0: Rubby De La Rosa worked around a bloop single to keep Boston College off the scoreboard.
Tom Bourdon led off with a flare to right field. Second baseman Heiker Meneses raced out while right fielder Bryce Brentz darted in. The ball dropped in between the two.
Bourdon took a wide turn around first base before tossing on the brakes. He also missed an opportunity to move up on an errant snap throw by Christian Vazquez, which proved big because De La Rosa induced a double play to end the inning.
Steven Green will be the new Boston College pitcher in the second inning.
End 1st, Red Sox 1-0: The Red Sox jumped out to a 1-0 lead on Brandon Snyder’s ground-rule double.
Boston College’s Eric Stevens walked Brock Holt and Alex Hassan to begin his afternoon. Red Sox third base prospect Garin Cecchini then bounced into a double play, during which Holt scampered over to third base.
Snyder put a charge into one toward the right-center field wall. It bounced near the warning track and kicked up over the fence, allowing Holt to trot home from third base.
Mid 1st, 0-0: If nothing else, Chris Shaw will take home a bruise from Fort Myers.
Rubby De La Rosa hit Shaw in the first inning after getting two quick outs. Blake Butera struck out to begin the game, and Joe Cronin grounded to Garin Cecchini at third base for the second out.
John Hennessy struck out on a ball in the dirt. Christian Vazquez blocked De La Rosa’s offering and jumped out from behind the plate to fire down to first base.
3:49 p.m.: Rubby De La Rosa delivers a first-pitch strike. We’re underway at JetBlue Park.
3:42 p.m.: Alex Hassan is batting second and playing left field for the Red Sox. Hassan, a native of Quincy, Mass., was a four-year letter winner at Boston College High School.
Boston College’s lineup is below.
Blake Butera, 2B
Joe Cronin, SS
Chris Shaw, RF
John Hennessy, 1B
Tom Bourdon, CF
Geoffrey Murphy, DH
Travis Ferrick, LF
Stephen Sauter, C
Gabriel Hernandez, 3B
3:30 p.m. ET: One game is in the books at JetBlue Park. But we’ve got another spring training contest coming right up.
The Boston Red Sox downed Northeastern in the first game of Thursday’s doubleheader. Now, the Red Sox shift their attention to Boston College, which gets set to face the Sox for the 22nd consecutive year.
The Red Sox and Boston College have played 24 times overall. The Red Sox have won every game, including last year’s tilt by an 11-1 final. This marks the third matchup between the two teams at JetBlue Park.
The Red Sox’s lineup versus Northeastern featured a host of major league regulars. Boston’s lineup against B.C. is vastly different, though, as the Red Sox will deploy a heavy dose of prospects and veterans.
The action is expected to get underway at roughly 3:45 p.m. The Red Sox’s starting lineup against Boston College is below.
Brock Holt, SS
Alex Hassan, LF
Garin Cecchini, 3B
Brandon Snyder, DH
Corey Brown, CF
Bryce Brentz, RF
Travis Shaw, 1B
Heiker Meneses, 2B
Christian Vazquez, C
Rubby De La Rosa, RHP
