By Jake Sauberman, deputy sports editor
The Northeastern University (NU) baseball team continued its winning ways in conference play, taking two out of three from the University of Delaware to improve to 6-3 within the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA).
It was a series of low-scoring affairs, far different from the displays of offensive explosion found earlier in the season. Head coach Mike Glavine partially attributed the difference to the intensity of CAA play, but hinted that something else may be afoul.
“Everything tightens up when you get in conference; the pitching is better, the stress is higher,” Glavine said. “But I also think that we can do a better job at the plate. Our approach isn’t as consistent as it was at the start of the season.”
Game one put the offensive woes on full display, as senior righthander Mike Fitzgerald squared off with Delaware starter Brandon Walter in a classic pitcher’s duel. Ultimately, it was Walter who was the last man standing, as Fitzgerald was lifted in the sixth in a 1-1 tie.
Freshman reliever Kyle Murphy allowed an RBI single in the seventh to give Delaware the 2-1 lead, and that concluded the scoring. The Huskies mustered just nine baserunners and struck out 14 times against the Blue Hens.
“Fitzgerald pitched really well, and the bullpen pitched really well, but their guy was a little better than our guy on the mound,” Glavine said. “But we put that right behind us and won a wild one on Saturday.”
Glavine referred to the Huskies’ 7-4 victory on Saturday, a score that doesn’t reflect the true nature of the game. Led by freshman righty David Stiehl, NU walked 12 batters, constantly filling the bases with scoring threats.
The threat culminated in the eighth inning when sophomore lefty reliever Andrew Misiaszek escaped a bases-loaded, no-out jam without a scratch.
Despite the win, the 12 walks were the most glaring example of a larger problem for the Huskies this week, giving 26 Blue Hens the base on balls over the three-game set. However, Glavine pointed out that the hard-hitting Delaware squad had a lot to do with the wildness. Currently ranked 37th in the nation in scoring, the walks were a result of trying to be too perfect with execution.
“When you’re facing a team like that, you’re pitching under stress,” Glavine said. “You try to make perfect pitches and when that happens, you miss spots and tend to walk some guys. They forced our guys to go deeper into counts.”
There might have been another cause for the sheer amount of walks on Saturday.
“Saturday had a really tight strike zone, I’ll just leave it at that,” Glavine subtly implied. “We didn’t walk as many guys as we did.”
Sunday brought a new day, a new umpire and a new pitcher on the hill for the Huskies. Junior right-handed flamethrower Brian Christian improved to 4-0 on the season, hurling five innings of two-run ball and striking out six.
The Huskies struck first with a two-run single off the bat of sophomore outfielder Cam Walsh in the first inning. That lead would stand until the fifth, when a sacrifice fly and an RBI single tied the score at two apiece. But senior first baseman Cam Hanley’s solo shot in the bottom half of the inning gave NU the permanent 3-2 lead.
With Christian putting up strong numbers thus far, including a 3.51 ERA and a .233 opponent batting average, it’s easy to wonder why one of the team’s most effective starting pitchers has the third spot in the rotation.
“It’s great to have him on Sunday because it’s a boost of energy,” Glavine said. “Sundays are typically the hardest games to win because you’re a little tired after playing a couple days and I like to have a harder throwing pitcher. Bats are a little slower in the third game of the series, so that fits [Christian’s] game well.”
Looking ahead, the Huskies will take on the College of Charleston, who currently sit in first place in the CAA at 7-2. But NU can at least look forward to remaining at home after a strenuous road-heavy start to the season.
“We feel like we have a home field advantage because of weather and the field itself that we’re more comfortable with,” Glavine said. “If you win every series at home and play .500 on the road, you’re going to put yourself in a great position.”
