By Jason Richland
BROOKLINE – The struggles continued for Northeastern baseball again this week. The Huskies dropped a 10-inning game to the University of Connecticut, 3-1, Tuesday afternoon and split the weekend doubleheader against Holy Cross, losing the early game, 2-1, and winning the late game, 4-1.
Northeastern’s record now stands at 5-11, but coach Neil McPhee isn’t too concerned.
“We are actually playing solid baseball all around,” McPhee said. “We haven’t played the conference games yet and those are the ones that determine where you go at the end of the season, if you go anywhere. So we are gearing up for that.”
Sophomore Dave Pellegrine (1-1) pitched excellently over eight innings, allowing just one run, four hits and four walks. He was not credited with the decision.
In the top of the 10th inning, junior Chris Emanuele misjudged a liner with two men on and two outs. The hit went over his head and rolled to the wall for a triple and resulted in the winning run for Connecticut.
In the bottom of the frame, junior catcher Matt Morizio singled to lead off the inning, but redshirt freshman Anthony Fantaroni grounded into a double play. Emanuele was picked off after reaching first base as a hit batsman for the final out.
The lone run for Northeastern came in the third inning when senior Miguel Paquette walked with the bases loaded, scoring Morizio.
Northeastern stranded three runners in the third inning.
“The most difficult skill to perform is hitting,” McPhee said. “When hitters don’t hit, it can be for any number of reasons.”
On Saturday, the 6-foot-4 righthanded freshman Kris Dabrowiecki threw eight innings, allowed one run and struck out six batters to earn the victory.
Dabrowiecki also earned the America East Rookie of the Week honors for the performance.
Dabrowiecki (2-1) has racked up 17 strikeouts over the 21 innings he has pitched this season. He didn’t walk a single batter against Holy Cross.
“Dabrowiecki is a strike machine,” McPhee said. “He continually throws strikes in every situation and that is how you win ball games.”
Holy Cross scored its only run of the early game on an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning, but in the bottom frame, Fantaroni drilled a home run to left. Junior Arman Sidhu doubled and later scored on a wild pitch for the go-ahead run. Sidhu scored again when senior captain Tim Bush pulled a pitch to left for a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth.
In the afternoon game, despite taking the 2-1 loss, sophomore righthander Adam Ottavino (0-4) threw eight innings, allowed one earned run and struck out 11 batters. Sidhu scored the lone run for the Huskies in the bottom of the fourth on a double to left by Paquette.
Morizio tried to throw out a runner stealing third in the sixth inning, but he overthrew Bush at third and the runner scored on the play.
Northeastern stranded five runners in the following three innings.
“You have to score more than one run to win a ball game most of the time,” McPhee said. “We played well, we pitched well, but we didn’t hit.”
The Huskies have been playing without senior righthander Devin Monds and senior co-captain Jeff Heriot. Monds has been sidelined with a sprained ankle and is expected back for this weekend’s games.
Heriot’s injury may be worse than the team originally thought and the outfielder may be out until the conference opener April 9 against the University of Hartford.
