BROOKLINE — It didn’t long for Northeastern fans to realize Tuesday afternoon’s contest would be a slugfest, as the Huskies crossed home plate five times in the first three innings to propel themselves to a decisive win against Merrimack.
It wasn’t just the bats, though. Northeastern’s pitching staff, led by Ryan McCarroll, sophomore Nick Coniglio, junior Carson Walsh, and redshirt freshman Jack Cropper quieted Merrimack. The quartet allowed just two hits, five base-on-balls, and struck out 11.
“Carson Walsh hasn’t pitched all year,” said Northeastern head coach Mike Glavine. “That was his first appearance, he pitched awesome. I think he’s a guy you’re going to see a little more.”
Warriors sophomore infielder Brooks Craigue led off the game with a single through the left side of the infield off Huskies senior starter McCarroll. Merrimack would not have another base hit until graduate student infielder Cavan Brady singled on a line drive to right field in the eighth inning. Overall, it was a great day for some of Northeastern’s depth pitchers — something that bodes well going forward.
The Huskies offense, jump started by an RBI sacrifice fly from junior outfielder Cam Maldonado and a two-out RBI double off the bat of first baseman Will Fosberg, put two runs on the board in the first inning. After a quiet second, the bats reheated for a three-run third. Fosberg sent the first pitch he saw to the left centerfield gap for another RBI double, but the biggest swing of the afternoon came from graduate student Alex Lane.
Lane, who was awarded a spot on the All-CAA Preseason Team, was hitting below the Mendoza Line entering today’s contest. His second at-bat on Tuesday ended with a two-run home run to dead center field extending the Huskies lead to 5-0, hopefully a sign that the slump is coming to an end.
“It’s just good to get him back out there today,” Glavine said. “That was a huge hit for us, for him, and hopefully that’s the start of some big things, because he’s a great player.”
Freshman southpaw Samuel Franco and junior righty James Borsari were the lone bright spots for Merrimack’s bullpen, as they shut down the Huskies in their three combined innings of work. Giving up just one hit and two walks, the two silenced the heart of Northeastern’s batting order.
NU wouldn’t strike again until there were two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning, when Warriors junior left handed pitcher Zach Broderick surrendered four earned runs on four hits and one walk. Broderick failed to record an out, and was pulled from the game with his team trailing 9-0.
Sophomore outfielder Ryan Gerety was that lone walk, then proceeded to steal both second and third, putting himself 90 feet away from scoring. Junior infielder Jack Goodman took advantage of Gerety’s aggression on the basepaths and shot an RBI single up the middle. Two pitches later, Maldonado blasted a fastball over the left field wall for a homer, scoring Goodman. Fosberg, coming to the dish following a perfectly placed drag bunt and steal of second by junior infielder Carmelo Musacchia, singled in Musacchia for his third run batted in of the game.
The benches began to empty in the seventh and eighth innings, as both head coaches knew the contest was well out of reach. Northeastern’s freshman catcher Cooper Tarantino collected his first career hit on a bouncing ball that ricocheted off the pitcher’s glove.
Although the scoreboard displayed a 10-0 victory for the Huskies, Coach Glavine still saw room for improvement.
“We stole some bases, but we also didn’t get some bunts down,” he noted. “We missed a couple offensive signs that we shouldn’t be missing. So we’re just still trying to get better every game.”
Glavine feels the final tune-up against Boston College on Wednesday before the CAA regular season will be a necessary test.
“So we’re trying to treat every game like it’s the most important game,” he said. “That’s our mindset. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, because that’s the only way you can feel that pressure of trying to get better and better, to get prepped for conference play”
The Huskies face crosstown rival Boston College at Eddie Pellagrini Diamond on Wednesday, with a 3 p.m. first pitch against the Eagles. Amelia Ballingall and Daniel Ku will have the call on WRBB Sports+.