By Jimmy Brooks, News Staff
A month and a half into the baseball season, the Huskies managed to nearly double their win total in a matter of five days.
Going into Friday with a 5-20 record (1-8 Colonial Athletic Association), the Huskies swept Hofstra University at home and then traveled to Harvard, where they squeaked out a 6-5 win. The wins put the Huskies at 9-20 on the year and 4-8 in CAA play.
Coming from behind twice in one game, a relentless Northeastern team captured a win away from home Tuesday, extending their win streak to four against Harvard, their longest of the season.
Sophomore shortstop Pete Castoldi drove in the game winning run, shooting a sacrifice fly into left-centerfield, scoring freshman second baseman Aaron Barbosa from third base. Sophomore pitcher Dylan Maki closed the game out in the ninth, pitching a scoreless inning.
“We clutched up at the end of the game and won a ball game that we didn’t play particularly well in,” head coach Neil McPhee said. “We got timely hits to produce the win, but we also made five errors.”
Sophomore Chris Carmain entered the game in the seventh and pitched two scoreless innings of relief, earning his first win of the season and the second of his career.
Just days earlier, the Huskies hosted a three-game series against Hofstra, looking to turn their tumultuous record around.
Northeastern played lights out in those three games, sweeping the Pride. In three games against Hofstra, not a single pitcher let up a run. The senior co-captain Les Williams, junior Andrew Leenhouts and senior Brandon McNelis each pitched their way to victory with stellar shut-out performances over the weekend.
Hofstra came into the series with an equally as bad 6-20 record, with many of the same challenges and problems as the Huskies did. But NU was the one to emerge with not only a series win, but also a sweep.
McNelis’ performance Sunday in a 5-0 win over the pride was not only enough to earn his team a win, he also took home the award for CAA pitcher of the week. McNelis was able to blank the Pride the entire game, limiting the entire lineup to just three hits. He was perfect through the fifth inning, when he gave up a lone double to Hofstra first baseman Joe Perez.
“I thought McNelis threw unbelievable,” senior outfielder Jeff Dunlap said. “He was painting corners, hitting spots. I thought it was the best pitching performance I’ve seen this year.”
Saturday, the Huskies pulled out with a nail biting 1-0 win over the Pride. Junior Andrew Leenhouts pitched eight scoreless innings to keep a stagnant Husky offense within striking distance. Tied 0-0 at the bottom of the ninth inning, it was Castoldi who emerged as the hero, driving in freshman outfielder Connor Lyons from third base to give his squad the win. Castoldi would repeat his late game heroics just days later against Harvard.
“That was a walk-off moment that all players relish,” McPhee said. “If the bases weren’t loaded, [Castoldi’s hit] would have ended up being a triple. He crushed the ball into the gap, and that’s the way to end the game.”
The Huskies opened up the three-game series with a 3-0 win vs. the Pride Friday. William’s effort on the mound propelled the Huskies, as he fanned seven batters and gave up no runs in a complete game shut out.
“Les kept us in this game the whole way,” Dunlap said. “[Each pitcher] did their own thing to make sure we won each game.”
McPhee had nothing but praise for his co-captain, and was extremely impressed with Williams’ performance.
“It’s the kind of game that a coach would say a pitcher can get drafted on that game alone,” McPhee said. “The reason for that is that Les’ last three fastballs were 89, 90 and 91 [mph] at 102 pitches. That’s a performance.”
