FORT MYERS, FLA — Most major league teams have a hard time stacking up with the Red Sox, so when the Huskies are scheduled to play Boston every year, they’re facing no small task.
Thursday the team took the field against the Sox and managed to keep the game at a close 2-0 for two innings before the major leaguers in camp with the 2007 World Champions overwhelmed Northeastern en route to a 15-0 victory.
NU pitchers recorded six strikeouts in six innings and the offense mustered three hits, in front a of 6,346 person crowd that featured a strong Northeastern contingent in town for the game and the day’s pre-game alumni event.
Sophomore outfielder Frank Compagnone said it was a unique and exciting experience to play against a major league team like the Red Sox.
“Obviously it’s always a dream to play against the players on the Boston Red Sox,” he said. “The fact that we are able to do it is just awesome. There’s really no way to explain it.”
The Huskies came closest to scoring in the top of the seventh, their final frame. After the first out of the inning, freshman outfielder Jeff Dunlap drew a walk. Freshman catcher Tucker Roeder pinch hit for the next batter and also walked.
A wild pitch on the next at bat left the Huskies with runners on second and third with only one out. But, Red Sox minor league camp invitee Hunter Jones beared down and struck out the next two batters to end the game.
The Huskies were within two after the first two innings on the efforts of the game’s starting pitchers. Junior Jeff Thomson worked the first, and senior pitcher Bobby Carrington followed him in the second as the two combined to allow three hits and two earned runs.
Thomson faced Manny Ramirez in the first, and got the slugger to swing and miss twice before eventually walking him. He said approaching a hitter like Ramirez was like facing anybody else in that the right pitches have to be made and the defense has to provide support.
“You just have to throw pitches and hope that he hits the ball at someone,” he said.
The Huskies collected their first hit in the first inning, when senior captain and shortstop Mike Lyon roped a single to right field off Red Sox prospect Justin Masterson.
“I saw a couple pitches, took them for strikes low. I was looking for something up the whole time,” Lyon said. “I was down 0-2, so I was like ‘alright anything close here I have try and get a bat on it’ and he left a fastball on the outer half so I got a good swing on it and did what I wanted with it.”
The rest of Northeastern’s offense came from its second basemen as sophomores Dave Fisher and Brendan Stokes both went 1-1 with singles.
In the bottom of the second Compagnone made the defensive play of the game with a diving catch in center field. The play was made on a tailing line drive hit by Sox shortstop prospect Jed Lowrie.
“I saw it was just kind of cutting away from me,” he said. “And basically in the situation I was like ‘well I have to go for it, if it goes past me it’s a triple.’ But I thought I had a really good chance at getting it, and I did. It felt great.”
Despite the lopsided score, the players said they enjoyed the experience and thought it helped them prepare well for their first week of meaningful play.
“It’s definitely a highlight of the season. It’s a lot of fun,” said junior pitcher Dan Zehr, who struck out two in the third inning. “This is our first time our, so we’re going to have mistakes. But we’ll be better next time.”
