By Ethan Schroeder, news staff
When the Northeastern men’s baseball team left Columbia, S.C. last Sunday after dropping a hard-fought game against the 12th-ranked team in the country, players and coaches alike were confident that the Huskies could take on any team.
That theory rang true last weekend as NU took two out of its four games in the Snowbird Baseball Classic in prolific fashion, capping off a successful trip with a thrilling extra-innings loss against the Boston Red Sox after a spectacular performance from sophomore pitcher Aaron Civale.
The Huskies (4-6) were only in Florida for six days, but they kept themselves busy with a slate of games, beginning with their opener against Kansas University. Despite a strong offensive performance from NU, Kansas was able to escape with a 6-4 victory with the help of two productive innings.
Striking first with an RBI single from sophomore third baseman Cam Hanley, the Huskies managed 10 hits in the matchup. NU held a one-run lead until the third inning, when the Jayhawks answered with three runs of their own. Pouring on three more runs only two innings later, Kansas was able to sit back and weather a comeback attempt from NU.
“We put ourselves in a position to tie the game late and potentially win it, but they had one big hit that we just weren’t able to come back from,” Head Coach Mike Glavine said, referencing Kansas senior first baseman Blair Beck’s two-run single in the third inning.
Senior pitcher Nick Berger took his second loss of the season for the Huskies, throwing five innings while allowing three earned runs on eight hits. Hanley and redshirt junior catcher Josh Treff led the offensive charge. Treff went 2-4 with an RBI and the team’s only extra-base hit.
Only four hours after the beginning of its first game, NU took the field against the University of Kentucky. Though the game lasted three hours and 20 minutes due to a rain delay, fans were kept entertained right until the very end. Kentucky scored the decisive run in the bottom of the eighth inning to win by a score of 5-4.
Although NU never held the lead, it was able to even the score at 4 in the top of the eighth. Due to a Kentucky fielding error, redshirt junior infielder Michael Foster scored the tying run, suggesting extra innings for those in attendance in Port Charlotte. NU nearly went ahead on a sacrifice fly, but Kentucky successfully appealed that the runner had left third base too early.
The fielding-error bug bit the Huskies in the next frame. A bad throw from freshman infielder Maxwell Burt allowed the Wildcats to score the go-ahead run. NU loaded the bases in the final inning, hoping to salvage victory, but was unable to drive in a run.
“We battled back multiple times,” Glavine said. “I was really happy of the team’s increase in intensity. We had a chance to take the lead late, but it just didn’t happen. Still, there was a lot of positives to take from the losses against Kansas and Kentucky.”
Sitting at a 2-6 record with five straight losses, NU desperately needed a victory to reverse its fortunes. Thanks to home runs from sophomore catcher Joey Scambia and redshirt junior first baseman Rob Fonseca, the team was able to finish strong against Chicago State University and earn a 10-6 victory.
Due to time constraints caused by the first game’s unexpected length, both coaches agreed to play only six innings so post-game travel plans could be accommodated. NU’s starting pitcher junior James Mulry had a dismal opening frame defensively, allowing for two Cougar home runs. The Huskies responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the first. Innings two and three had no additional runs but NU scored multiple runs in each of the last three innings.
Fonseca managed four RBIs in as many plate appearances, with his three-run home run coming in the first inning. Scambia’s three-run shot came in the bottom of the sixth, securing the victory for Northeastern.
“[Fonseca] missed a lot of last season due to a severe hamstring injury and to have him come back and be a threat in the middle of the order is great,” Glavine said. “We want to give him as many opportunities to drive in runs over the course of the season that we can.”
To finish off the classic, NU faced Mount St. Mary’s University. Building on momentum from their win the day before, the Huskies were merciless against the Mountaineers, scoring 12 runs in the game’s final three innings en route to a 15-1 win.
Foster and Scambia each notched two-run RBI hits in the sixth to help extend the lead to 8-1. From there, it was all NU until the game ended in the eighth inning due to darkness. With five players earning multi-hit games, led by Fonseca’s five-RBI day, the Huskies were able to leave Port Charlotte in high spirits.
“The bats really came alive against Chicago State and Mount St. Mary’s,” Glavine said. “The team did some great things on both sides of the ball that I believe they’ll be able to do throughout the season. Over the course of the Classic, we played better and better each game and that’s something you love to see.”
The next day, in what Madigan referred to as one of his favorite games of the year, the Huskies traveled across the state to take on the Boston Red Sox at their spring training facility. The annual game between the teams has been a tradition for the last 13 seasons. In the series’ first ever extra-innings meeting, Boston barely squeaked by, winning 2-1.
Preparing for the 2015 MLB season only a month away, the Red Sox chose to go with its big guns on Tuesday, starting household names such as designated hitter David Ortiz, second baseman Dustin Pedroia and left fielder Hanley Ramirez. Despite the star-studded lineup, Boston found itself unable to get on the score sheet until the fifth inning, when outfielder Henry Ramos singled in utility man Brock Holt.
The run left NU with little time to retaliate due to the game’s planned length of seven innings. Just as it seemed a win in regulation was in the cards for Boston, the Huskies evened the game at one in the top of the seventh. Senior pitcher Isaac Lippert was able to score on a throwing error by Red Sox second baseman Jeff Bianchi, forcing an eighth inning. In the eighth, Boston took advantage of a Husky fielding error to finish things off. The two teams combined for only five hits, with Fonseca getting NU’s only base knock.
Boston’s one-run win is its smallest margin of victory ever over the Huskies, and its success was overshadowed by Civale’s dominating effort. The Red Sox have won the matchup every year.
Glavine played six different pitchers over the course of the game. It was Civale who stood out from the pack.As the starter, he pitched two shutout innings, allowing no hits. He struck out Ortiz, Ramirez, first baseman Mike Napoli and shortstop Xander Bogaerts in his time on the mound. Despite the loss, the team’s performance has them heading back to campus with a great deal of confidence.
“Aaron went out there and was able to set the tone for the guys that took the mound after him,” Glavine said. “Even though [the Red Sox game] is an exhibition, you can’t help but draw confidence from the result. In a situation like that, we really want the guys to have fun, but to have our team compete against a team like that is very encouraging.”
The Huskies will travel to New Britain, Conn. this weekend to play two games each against Brown University and Central Connecticut State University.
Photo courtesy Jim Pierce, Northeastern Athletics
