To top off the first half of a dominant season, Northeastern (22-5, 6-3 CAA) hosted Harvard (8-16, 4-2 Ivy League) Tuesday for the first round of the 32nd annual Baseball Beanpot. The Huskies carried a dominant 10-game winning streak into the matchup, the second highest in the nation, but they were sent right back to square one when the Crimson rallied late in the game to claim the 4-3 win.

Northeastern controlled the beginning stretch of play, with team efforts keeping Harvard from snagging a single base until the third inning.

Meanwhile, the home team jumped ahead quickly. At the bottom of the first, redshirt senior Danny Crossen swung a double into left field. Senior first baseman and outfielder Alex Lane’s hit sent Crossen to third, and although Lane was tagged out before reaching the bases, putting the Huskies at two outs, that wasn’t an issue for the team. Graduate student first baseman Tyler MacGregor sealed not just Crossen’s run, but one of his own as well with his seventh home run of the season.

Northeastern held the lead for a while. Redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Jake Gigliotti started on the mound for the Huskies and stayed there for four innings, tallying five strikeouts and no walks. 

But at the top of the fourth, Gigliotti let Harvard’s first run of the day through when senior infielder Logan Bravo hit a homer.

Freshman outfielder Cam Maldonado tried to widen the gap again when the Huskies next came up to bat, slowly making his way to third base, but a strikeout ended his campaign.

Once the Huskies replaced Gigliotti on the mound, pitching got shaky. Between batter hits and pitcher errors, the Crimson finally made its way onto the bases. After a little over an inning, right-handed sophomore Jack Beauchesne was swapped out for right-handed freshman James Morice, but Harvard still found the leeway to tie the game.

After two consecutive walks and a steal, junior outfielder Ben Rounds grabbed home base off a hit from junior infielder Jake Berger to bring the score to 2-2.

Another pair of four-ball walks fully loaded the bases for the Crimson, but Morice came in clutch. The freshman pitcher struck out the next Harvard batter, narrowly avoiding a major devastation.

Despite the save, Morice was relieved by right-handed sophomore Brett Dunham for the next inning. Harvard managed to get another couple athletes far through the bases, but three tagged first bases sent the Crimson back to the outfield.

At the bottom of the seventh, Harvard made its first pitching substitution of the game, giving right-handed senior Will Jacobsen a much-need break and putting right-handed senior James Kirkpatrick on the mound.

Kirkpatrick made easy work of the Huskies, and with just two innings left in the tie game, it was uncertain who would come out on top.

Despite Kirkpatrick’s success, he was replaced by right-handed freshman Callan Fang for the eighth inning, but this decision did not go over well for the Crimson.

With three balls and two strikes on the board, MacGregor hit his second homer of the day to give Northeastern the edge. But the inning’s later batters only made it as far as second base, and the one-run lead was not enough to hold off the Crimson.

The Huskies designated right-handed graduate student Griffin Young as their final pitcher of the day, but Harvard was determined to sneak past the home team. A defensive error allowed Crimson senior outfielder Spencer Williams to claim first base, and he then narrowed the distance to home, taking third on a wild pitch. Teammate and sophomore outfielder Matt Giberti followed right behind him on second. Freshman infielder Gio Colasante finished off their bid, barely making it onto first base as both Williams and Giberti touched home plate. 

Harvard’s last pitcher, left-handed senior Harrison Stovern, quickly shut down Northeastern’s attempt to tie the game, and the Crimson burst onto the field victorious.

The loss continues Northeastern’s decade-long Beanpot drought, but the Huskies will take on University of Massachusetts Amherst in next week’s consolation round for a chance at redemption. Simultaneously, Harvard will square up against Boston College for the title game.

However, the Huskies have a busy week to get through before the tournament continues. Northeastern remains in home territory Wednesday to go head to head with Stonehill College at 3 p.m.