BUIES CREEK, NC — In the third game of the series, Campbell simply wanted it more. The Huskies picked up games one and two of the weekend, contributing to their CAA-leading 7-2 record and earning the series win, but the Fighting Camels spoke to their name as they showed their teeth to break the Huskies’ nine-game win streak and take a mercy-rule eight-inning victory 18-8.
The Huskies’ pitching struggled from the get-go and was decimated through a six-pitcher sequence, picking up a season-high 16 earned runs. Righty starter Jack Bowery lasted the longest with three innings of work, but allowed the Camels their first run early on a loaded-bases walk, getting a taste of the medicine they administered to the home team the previous day.
“It’s just one of those days,” said head coach Mike Glavine. “We didn’t pitch great and [Campbell] hit really well, so I’d like to give them credit and I’d like to see us regroup on the mound.”
In the top of the third, Northeastern came out with the firepower they’d had all weekend to gain the lead. The bats were humming as the Huskies worked through the full order, serving up a Greg Bozzo sandwich in which he contributed a single and a walk. Campbell intentionally loaded the bases with Cam Maldonado — who had already gone four-for-seven on the weekend and had three walks — but that backfired as they then walked in a run themselves. With starter David Rossow now rattled, it left the perfect opportunity for Harrison Feinberg to blast a grand slam over the right field wall. Jack Doyle followed that up with a solo homer, bolstering Northeastern to a 6-1 lead, and Rossow’s day was done.
Jett Music — a rare two-way player — had been an on-field orchestra all weekend, and returned to the mound in relief, but only lasted a third of an inning after a series of pitching blunders loaded the bases once more.
Music was swapped out in favor of Lleyton Grubich, who entered in a sticky situation, but was able to finish off the inning with a groundout and eventually earn the win for Campbell.
The bottom of the fourth felt like deja vu as Campbell held a mirror to the Huskies with a grand slam from Lukas Schramm and a solo homer from Charlie Meglio to earn back the lead in what would become a devastating nine-run inning. Bowery started the frame plunking pitchers, and was pulled in favor of Jordan Gottesman. However, the graduate student transfer failed to bring his usual thunder in relief and instead took blow after blow for a total of six earned runs.
The script was flipped: a five-run Huskies lead had turned into a five-run hole, but this time, there was no way out. The Fighting Camels weren’t without error, but each time they fumbled, they were able to recollect themselves quickly. The Huskies tried to claw back with a pair of runs at the top of the sixth, but Campbell was determined to pick up at least one win on home turf.
Through the sixth, seventh, and eighth, the Camels’ confidence grew, and Charlie Meglio’s second home run of the game, a three-RBI bomb over the left-field wall seemed to seal the Huskies’ fate.
At the top of the seventh, the Huskies looked like they had a fighting chance when Henry DiGiorgio knocked through a single, but Jack Doyle questioned his path home and the whole stadium seemed to freeze as a trio of Huskies was left stuck between the bags in a game of cat and mouse that eventually ended the inning.
A two-RBI double from Seth Farni kept the Camels’ party going in the seventh, and one inning later, Dalen Thompson ended the game early with an RBI single to score Darnell Parker Jr.
Blustering winds may have played a bit of the role, as nearly every pitcher-catcher tandem seemed a little bit wonky with more than a few wild pitches and passed balls on both sides, but it was the overall lack of control on the mound that led to Northeastern’s downfall.
“We had two starts this weekend that weren’t very good,” Glavine said. “We were deep in our bullpen, so we’ve got to be better than that on the mound, especially from the starters, so we’ve got to pitch better. We also made a lot of mistakes today that we’ll learn from and get better.”
Despite Campbell’s 18-run mercy-win slamfest, the Huskies had some great hitting of their own through a high-scoring weekend. The visiting team averaged 10 runs per game and will bring home the series win to retain their first-place slot in the CAA.
“The message is hold your heads up, learn from it,” Glavine said. “We beat a really good team at their place, a place we’ve never been, so keep using that as momentum in the right direction.”
The Huskies will travel to Central Connecticut State University Wednesday afternoon to take on an offensively powerful Blue Devils lineup before tackling a 17-game homestand. Armaan Vij, Amelia Ballingall, and Chase Alexander will have the call on WRBB Sports+ when the home Huskies host Hofstra with a 3 p.m. first pitch.