Elizabeth Thomas, News Correspondent
The men’s baseball team slugged its way to a 12-9 victory over the University of Delaware in the final game of the 2011-12 season Sunday.
The Huskies (23-28, 13-17 Colonial Athletic Association) finished their CAA schedule with a 13-17 record, good for eighth place in the 11-team conference. Northeastern entered the weekend as one of four teams – joining Georgia State, the College of William and Mary and Towson University – in contention for a postseason berth as the sixth and final seed in the CAA tournament, but the spot was ultimately claimed by Towson.
The Huskies’ postseason hopes were dashed after they dropped a 10-3 decision to the Blue Hens on May 19. Northeastern needed wins in its final two games of the season and losses from Towson and Gegoria State to stay alive, but Towson defeated James Madison University in extra innings May 19 to secure the final spot.
Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs, the weekend was still cause for celebration after sophomore outfielder Aaron Barbosa broke Northeastern’s single-season hit record in the Huskies’ 12-9 win. Barbosa singled to left field in the first inning and hit an infield single in the top of the fifth inning to give him 75 hits, surpassing the previous record of 74 achieved by Mike Tamsin in 2009. Barbosa also singled in the seventh inning to end his season with 76 total hits.
The weekend also marked the last series for the Huskies’ six seniors: Pitchers Sam Berg, Greg Ferguson and Andrew Leenhouts; infielder Jimmy Filter; first baseman/outfielder Matt Miller; and catcher/first baseman Tucker Roeder.
“All of these men are exceptional examples to the freshman in this program,” head coach Neil McPhee said of the senior class. “I do think that they are the key to how well we have done this year in the program.”
Miller capped off a remarkable career as the season finale marked his 199th game played, a school record. Junior catcher Jon Leroux finished the season with 49 RBIs, landing him sixth on the Northeastern all-time single-season list.
“Matt Miller is really the only true everyday player in the program and he is the personification of achievement, of overachievement, clutch play,” McPhee said. “He’s just a terrific individual.”
The Huskies’ season came to a close after they swept their three-game series May 11-13 with Old Dominion University and lost an extra-inning affair with the University of Rhode Island on May 14 in their final four home games of 2012.
Freshman pitcher Nick Berger got the start for the Huskies’ final game of the season, pitching eight innings and allowing ten hits and six earned runs.
Barbosa led off the first inning with his record-tying single and scored on an RBI single by Miller to put the Huskies up 1-0 early.
Delaware came back in the bottom of the frame to score a run off an RBI groundout from junior third baseman EJ Stolzfus.
Berger stayed consistent until the bottom of the fourth, when a defensive error led to two unearned runs. Sophomore centerfielder Connor Lyons misplayed a fly ball from Stolzfus, allowing two runners to score and Stolzfus to reach third. Sophomore shortstop Brock Niggebrugge followed with a single, scoring Stolzfus and giving Delaware a 4-1 lead.
After an RBI groundout by junior catcher Jon Leroux cut Delaware’s lead to 4-2 in the top of the sixth, the Blue Hens added three runs to their lead in the bottom half of the inning.
A seven-run rally put Notheastern ahead for good in the seventh inning. Seven consecutive Huskies reached base, while Miller, Leroux and sophomore shortstop Oliver Hart each hit RBI singles in the inning.
Junior designated hitter John Puttress doubled to give the Huskies run No. 10 in the ninth inning, while both Roeder and freshman third baseman Rob Fonseca got RBI hits to add extra run support for the Huskies.
Hart relieved Berger in the bottom of the ninth inning with the bases loaded and allowed an RBI single before ending the game with a strikeout.
A day earlier, Northeastern came out on the losing end of a 10-3 game with Delaware, an outcome that eliminated the Huskies’ hopes of a final chance at a CAA playoff spot. Despite Leroux’s hot bat (he slammed his ninth home run in his last 12 games) the Huskies allowed 16 hits in the game.
Hart went 1-3 with his eighth double of the season and scored two runs on the day.
Former National Player of the Week and junior pitcher Kevin Ferguson made the start for the Huskies and was relieved after just two innings of work. Ferguson allowed six runs on seven hits before Berg came on in relief.
Northeastern was quick to come back in the fourth inning. Four consecutive Huskies reached base in the fourth, including Hart, who hit a two-run double to left field to make the score 6-2.
The teams traded home runs in the bottom of the fourth and top of the fifth to bring the score to 7-3.
Delaware went on to score three more runs to put the game away in the ninth inning.
In Friday’s series opener, Northeastern faced the reigning CAA Pitcher of the Week, junior Corey Crispell (7-3). The Huskies forced Crispell to give up six runs and 10 hits on the afternoon en route to a 6-2 win.
Leenhouts (7-3) got the start and pitched his third complete game of the season, striking out eight while only walking two. His 282 career strikeouts are only eight shy of tying the Northeastern record of 290 held by Adam Ottavino.
“[Leenhouts] just pitches wonderfully strong baseball and always wants to compete, to be the best and to win,” McPhee said.
The Huskies opened the scoring in the third inning. Lyons hit a leadoff double and the next four Huskies each reached base. After an RBI single from Puttres scored Lyons, two defensive errors by Delaware allowed the Huskies to take a 3-0 lead.
The Blue Hens added a run in the third to cut the score to 3-1, but the Huskies crushed any hopes of a rally.
Puttress hit another RBI single in the fourth and Fonseca added a two-run home run in the fifth to push Northeastern’s lead to 6-1.
Delaware sophomore first baseman Jimmy Yezzo hit an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth to bring the score to 6-2, but Leenhouts was not flustered and retired 12 of the final 15 batters he faced to end his complete game.
