By Jake Sauberman, deputy sports editorThe time for roster tinkering and experimentation is quickly coming to a close as Northeastern University (NU) baseball finished a series this past weekend against the University of Cincinnati, taking one of three games, and now will begin conference play.
After spending the last week in Florida as part of the Snowbird Baseball Classic, the Huskies returned to the unwelcoming colder conditions of the north. Head coach Mike Glavine did not attribute the weather change to the dropped series, but noted its effects on the way the game is played.
“You can see [the difference] with the pitchers’ command,” Glavine said. “It might not always result in walks, but falling behind in the count or throwing down the middle because you don’t want to walk somebody.”
The Huskies took one out of the three games in the series, but it was a closely contested matchup—all games were within a three-run margin. The pitching staff, which started the year with a dismal team ERA over seven, showed signs of improvement, limiting Cincinnati to under four runs twice.
“I saw good things as far as resiliency and coming back and staying in games,” Glavine said. “But now it’s time to start finishing these games off and winning some more.”
The Huskies were able to finish off game one and took a 6-3 victory that was not decided until the 12th inning. Senior ace Mike Fitzgerald got the usual starting nod, and he impressed once again, going seven strong innings, allowing three runs (one earned) and striking out six. The cold weather had little effect on his command, as the veteran only walked two over his 102-pitch outing.
The game started out with a 3-0 Cincinnati lead after two innings, and remained stuck at that score until the seventh. That was when the aforementioned resiliency kicked in, and it was the bottom of the lineup that got the job done.
A single by junior infielder Nolan Lang knocked in junior shortstop Max Burt, getting the Huskies on the board. Freshman second baseman Scott Holzwasser followed up with a double in the left-center gap, driving in Lang. The game was then knotted up at three apiece on a double to left off the bat of junior catcher John Mazza.
The game went into extras, thanks to four innings of scoreless relief from freshman righthander Brian Rodriguez. The Husky bats heated up once again in the 12th, as sophomore utilityman Charlie McConnell drove in a run on an RBI single, and Holzwasser followed up with another two RBIs.
Junior closer Tyler Robinson locked the game down in the bottom of the 12th for his third save on the season, giving the Huskies the 6-3 win.
The success of the bottom of the Huskies’ lineup was an encouraging sight for the team, especially given the heavy game-to-game turnover in that portion of the order. However, it seems that the recent performances of Lang, Holzwasser and McConnell have earned them more solidified roles.
“I was a little more set with the lineup this weekend,” Glavine said. “I do feel like some of the positions are settling in. [There was] a little less movement because we have less games than we had in Florida. I’m trying to establish the lineup a little bit more, but one thing I do like about this offense a lot is the depth.”
Game two continued to highlight the strong Husky offense that has kept them close in games, but at the same time shined the light back on the pitching woes. Freshman starter Kyle Murphy couldn’t hold onto an early 4-1 lead, lasting four innings and giving up five runs over seven hits. The redshirt freshman, coming off of Tommy John surgery, has struggled out of the gate for NU; over 20.0 innings, he holds a 9.00 ERA with a 11:10 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
“[Murphy] is among our quality pitchers, he just needs to perform a little higher,” Glavine said. “He made some really good pitches, and then it seemed like when he made a bad one, it got hit pretty hard […] I talked to him after his start and he’s going to work off his slider and get a better feel for that pitch.”
In a turn of events from the first game, it was Cincinnati who erased an early three-run deficit, scoring eight unanswered runs. Ultimately, the drastic shift of momentum was too much for the Huskies to handle, and they lost 10-8.
Game three was a rarity in the young season: A low-scoring game. Junior righthander Brian Christian made his second start of the year after transitioning from the bullpen. He held the Bearcats to two runs over four innings, striking out four. His results would have likely improved with an improvement in command, as he walked four batters and threw two wild pitches. It also cut his outing short, as the righty’s pitch count hovered just under 100 by the time he was taken out after the fourth.
Christian’s only struggles came early as a walk, double and single to the first four hitters brought in two runs for Cincinnati. Senior first baseman Cam Hanley tied it up at two in the fourth with a two-run blast, but the lead was given back in the sixth on an RBI single followed by a wild pitch that scored a run. The Huskies couldn’t rally off Bearcats’ closer David Orndoff, and dropped the game 4-2.
The next stretch of games for NU will be crucial; they finally start conference play, which decides the seeding for the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) tournament at the end of the season. Going up against CAA rival Elon University this weekend, Glavine is confident that a new level of pressure will help his team realize its potential.
“Elon has been pitching the ball really well; their numbers on the mound are excellent,” Glavine said. “But I know our team has another gear in it. We haven’t seen it yet, but I’m really confident in what this team can do and I know that their best baseball is still ahead of them. I think they’ll rise up to the challenge this Friday.”
