By Ethan Schroeder, news staff
The Northeastern University baseball team started off its season strong by winning two of three games against the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio this weekend.
The Huskies traditionally start their season with a string of road games played in the warmer regions of the US. This season, that road trip began when NU squared off against the Cardinals. Despite playing outside for the first time in nearly four months, the Huskies did not miss a beat in their first series.
The action began on Friday night. With senior pitcher Nick Berger getting the start, NU picked up Head Coach Mike Glavine’s first career victory by a score of 3-1. The Huskies secured the game’s first run in the fourth inning off the bat of freshman infielder Maxwell Burt, who singled in sophomore third baseman Cam Hanley. The team added on runs in the sixth and eighth innings, the former due to a solo home run from sophomore Pat Madigan.
“[Madigan] is coming off of a freshman year where he didn’t play much, but he’s had an outstanding fall,” Glavine said. “He’s really earned the starting job. Into the winter he continued to swing the bat well and it was great to see him take all of that out onto the field this weekend.”
Berger anchored the team defensively, allowing only one run on four hits in seven innings. The lone run came from Incarnate Word senior catcher Colton Besett in the seventh inning.
The Huskies hoped to take their momentum into the weekend’s second matchup on Saturday, but Incarnate Word stepped up and evened the series with a 6-1 victory. NU took the lead with its lone run in the second inning as the result of a RBI-double from freshman infielder Nolan Lang, but the Cardinals ran the show from there. Peppering four different NU pitchers with a total of 12 hits, Incarnate Word’s offense was dominant. The considerable run support allowed junior pitcher Garret Cooper to do his job comfortably, allowing only one run over seven innings.
The Huskies’ lone standout performance came from redshirt junior infielder Michael Foster, who went 4-4 at the plate with two extra-base hits. Over the course of the series, Foster hit .750.
“Foster is someone we’ll rely heavily upon this season,” Glavine said. “He’ll be batting at the top of the lineup and certainly will be a big factor.”
In Sunday afternoon’s rubber match, it was NU’s turn to score in volume, accumulating nine runs on 15 hits en route to a 9-3 victory. Incarnate Word held onto a 2-0 lead over the course of the game’s first five innings, but the Huskies finished strong, pouring on five runs in the seventh. Burt and Madigan led the way with three RBIs apiece, while sophomore pitcher Dustin Hunt chipped in six solid innings, allowing only one earned run off of three hits. No Cardinals player could secure more than one hit.
Glavine, experiencing a successful start to his first season thus far, was pleased by the Huskies’ performance in their first few outings. In particular, Glavine made note of the strong team dynamic.
“Every year we’re going to play on the road early given the weather, and I think that builds good chemistry,” Glavine said. “You’re traveling a lot so you’re together a lot. You can already see how well the guys play together by how they act in the dugout and interact during the game. There are a lot of positives from that.”
With a successful first series out of the way, NU will take on the University of South Carolina next weekend in a three-game road series. The Huskies have their work cut out for them, as the Gamecocks are currently ranked twelfth in the country. NU is not currently ranked by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
“I think playing a top-ranked team will help us elevate our game,” Glavine said. “We’re looking forward to the challenge. It’s going to force us to be better.”
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
