BROOKLINE — After a string of tight victories to end off April, the Huskies appear to be improving play even further. Coming off of two straight 10 run games against Delaware, Northeastern’s bats remained red-hot in a 9-3 slugfest against UMass Lowell on Wednesday.
For nine innings, the Huskies played relentless baseball, scoring in all but two innings and mashing four home runs in the process.
Northeastern didn’t waste a second of Wednesday’s game, creating runs almost immediately. It all started with some small ball, as a Cam Maldonado double led to an RBI off the bat of Harrison Feinberg. Feinberg would then advance to third by a Carmelo Musacchia single, and the pair would put the Huskies up 2-0 on a double steal of second and home.
The home team’s smoking bats were backed up by a solid start by Max Gitlin. Gitlin got through 5.1 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, keeping his ERA low at 2.62 and his WHIP at 1.02. While he wasn’t at peak form, Gitlin gave the Huskies a chance to win, and they took that chance and ran with it.
A quiet second inning was the calm before the storm of five straight innings in which Northeastern put up runs. The third and fourth innings continued the strong base-hitting that has defined much of Northeastern’s offense this year. Maldonado reached base on four straight balls to open the bottom of the third, and he quickly found third on a Feinberg single to give the River Hawks déjà vu. A fielder’s choice double play from Musacchia brought in Maldonado to make it 3-1. It was more of the same in the fourth, in which Gregory Bozzo found home on singles from Justin Bosland and Ryan Gerety.
“I need [Gerety]. We’re at our best offense when he leads off,” said head coach Mike Glavine, praising Gerety’s ability to set the table for the Huskies. “He’s got to feed those guys…he’s been outstanding.”
However, UMass Lowell did not go down without a fight. The River Hawks struck in the third and fifth, including a home run by River Hart. Throughout the first half of Wednesday’s matchup, the visitors kept Northeastern on their toes, keeping their opponents within striking distance.
The Huskies responded with rage, opening a home run derby. From the bottom of the fifth, Northeastern scored five runs, all on home runs. In the bottom of the fifth, Matt Brinker launched a two-run moonshot into the trees to turn a 4-2 ballgame into 6-2. The bottom of the sixth saw back-to-back homers from Chris Walsh — who notched his first career homer — and Gerety. Finally, Feinberg belted a bomb into left field for the ninth and final run of the game for the Huskies.
“[We have] a nine-man attack. Nine [versus] one is the best way to look at it,” said Glavine. “It’s the best way to have an offense. It’s the best way to win.”
As the offensive derby unfolded, an Avengers-like trio in Jack Beauchesne, Cooper McGrath, and Brett Dunham held the River Hawks back on the mound. Beauchesne relieved Gitlin in the sixth, throwing 1.2 perfect innings, including a one-pitch double-play sixth inning. McGrath kept the momentum, throwing a perfect eighth.
Down seven runs entering the top of the ninth, Lowell made one final push towards a comeback against Dunham. A double from Alex Luccini turned into a run on a groundout and a wild pitch, but it wasn’t enough, as Dunham regained his composure and registered two straight outs to end the ballgame and secure the 17th straight Northeastern victory.
The Huskies could have easily come into Wednesday’s game assuming they would dominate and take their foot off the gas; after all, the River Hawks came into the game 17-29 on the season. However, Northeastern treated the outing like any other, playing clean, strong baseball. To Coach Glavine, every game is the most important game of the season, and that attitude has carried the Huskies to the longest active win streak across the entire nation.
“We have to treat every game like it’s the same game. That’s how you get a streak like this.”
Northeastern will return to the diamond on Friday, when they hit the road to take on William & Mary. Written coverage of the three-game series will be provided on our website.