By Elizabeth Thomas, News Correspondent
The baseball team (12-7, 3-3 Colonial Athletic Association) came back from a four-run deficit in the bottom of the ninth inning to score five runs to defeat cross-town rivals Boston College (9-13, 2-7 Atlantic Coast Conference)12-11 at Friedman Diamond Tuesday afternoon.
For the second consecutive year, the Huskies’ winning run against BC crossed the plate as a result of a wild pitch.
“This game just shows who we are as a team, coming back to score four runs in the ninth with our backs against the wall. It just shows you a lot about our team and how we play,” sophomore starting pitcher Matt Cook said.
Leading off the bottom of the ninth inning senior left fielder and co-captain Matt Miller and junior designated hitter Jon Leroux both singled to left field to get on base. The third single of the inning by freshman first baseman Rob Fonseca loaded the bases. Freshman shortstop Jason Vosler then hit into a fielder’s choice that drove Miller home for the first run. With two on and one out, freshman third baseman McKeon delivered with a hit a deep right center field doubling to bring in two runs closing the gap to one run, 11-10.
Junior catcher John Puttress’ single brought Castoldi home to tie the game in the ninth inning.
“I was just sticking with the same approach,” Puttress said. “I knew he was going to come at me, I just waited for a fastball and made sure to put a good swing on it and hit it down the middle.”
Puttress eventually scored the winning run on a wild pitch by Eagles senior reliever Kyle Prohovich.
Cook made his fourth start of the season (1-1), lasted three innings on the mound and allowed seven runs on seven hits. He held off the Eagles for two innings but struggled in the third: He walked the first two hitters, allowed a single down the left side to load the bases and walked in a run, putting the Huskies down 7-1 by the end of the inning.
Northeastern responded with four runs in the bottom of inning, with sophomore center fielder Connor Lyons, sophomore right fielder Aaron Barboas and freshman second baseman Michael Foster all hitting opposite field singles to lead the bases with no outs. Miller worked the pitch count earning a walk to bring home a run that cut Boston College’s lead 7-2.
Leroux brought home Barbosa on a sacrifice fly to center field for the first out of the inning. Fonseca was hit by a pitch, loading up the bases for Vosler, whose 2 RBI single cut the lead to 7-5.
BC sophomore starting pitcher Steven Green was pulled in the bottom of the third, giving way to sophomore pitcher Nate Bayuk. Roeder walked to load the bases for Lyons in his second plate appearance of the inning. Bayuk struck Lyons out to end the third inning.
Cook was pulled in the top of the fourth, after allowing a leadoff single. Freshman pitcher Matthew Goreham took over and forced the Eagles to ground into a double play before sophomore center fielder Tom Bourbon grounded out to second base to end the inning.
Foster was able to make his third one-out triple of the season with a drive down the field line and was brought home when Miller hit a sacrifice fly into right field, lifting the Huskies ahead by one, 7-6.
But BC scored four more runs in the fifth inning to take back the lead, 11-6.
Vosler led off the inning for Northeastern with his second triple of the game, with McKeon batting next a sacrifice fly to right field driving home Vosler to make it 11-7.
Sophomore pitcher Oliver Heart kept the Eagles off the score board for eight and ninth innings to record his first win of the season, pitching 1.2 innings and not allowing a hit, walk or run, struck out two, just before the Huskies ninth inning rally and wild pitch win.
The Huskies now look forward to facing Colonial Athletic Association rivals Virginia Commonwealth University for the first conference home series of the year at Friedman Diamond this weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, noon Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.
“The way we are playing we are ready to beat anybody,” head coach Neil McPhee said. “[Virginia Commonwealth University] is a tough team, we know that, everybody in this conference is going to be tough. The way we are playing we are ready to play anyone, VCU is tough and we know that, but we’re ready.”
