It was a high-scoring game on both ends. For the third day in a row, Northeastern put up double-digit runs against Delaware, but this time, Blue Hens came out soaring. Evading the conference sweep, Delaware knocked ten bombs out of the park and took game three 14-11.
Northeastern’s pitchers — a trio of senior Wyatt Scotti, junior Dennis Colleran, and redshirt senior James Quinlivan — had no trouble finding the zone, only allowing a single walk compared to Delaware’s nine. But maybe they found the zone a little too well, as the Blue Hens racked up 15 hits through eight innings.
For the first half of the game, the Huskies held a slight edge. They got on the board first, thanks to a bases-loaded, two-RBI single from Jack Doyle in at the top of the first. However, the Blue Hens pulled their starting pitcher Dom Velazquez after just 0.1 innings, and reliever Tyler Strechay stalled Northeastern’s momentum, holding them to two runs in his 4.2 innings of work.
A couple of solo homers from redshirt senior Eric Ludman was no sweat for Northeastern as they entered the fifth leading 4-3 but once the Blue Hens started getting runners on base, it was a different story. With two aboard,Ludman sailed one over the wall, tipping the scales in favor of Delaware to give them a 7-4 lead. In three at bats, it was already his third home run, a dominant performance from the designated hitter.
Ludman wasn’t the only one contributing to the Blue Hens’ homer barrage; seven of Delaware’s hitters had at least one HR, including three in the sixth inning.
After Strechay was tapped out for the afternoon, right-handed redshirt senior Nate Rolka struggled on the mound, only lasting two at bats — a walk and a hit by pitch. Righty senior Wyatt Nelson came into the game to replace him midway through the sixth, and repeated his clean outing from Friday. Although leadoff hitter Luke Beckstein walked to load the bases, graduate student Tyler MacGregor couldn’t get the job done, flying out to right field.
In the top of the eighth, Northeastern started to stage a comeback. With three hits and four runs, they put themselves back within two. Alex Lane and Jack Goodman combined for three RBI, building on Gregory Bozzo’s wild-pitch run, but Delaware shut them down with yet another pitching change. Saturday’s closer Owen Margolis returned to finish out another game, and he did.
In the bottom of the inning, Delaware stretched the gap back up to five with a three-run home run from Joey Loynd, giving Margolis a cushion for the final stretch.
Northeastern made one last push, as Jimmy Sullivan came into the game to pinch hit for Maldonado and made it all the way around the bases. Lane knocked through a solo home run, but Margolis secured the last K and a Delaware win 14-11.
Despite the disappointing end to the weekend, Northeastern claimed yet another conference series and will look to regain their momentum when they return home Wednesday afternoon.
After two weeks on the road, the Huskies will be back in Brookline to face Kansas State University. Justin Diament and Amelia Ballingall will have the call live on WRBB Sports+ at 2 p.m.