After their 18-3 decimation by the Red Sox on Friday, the Huskies (0-5) stayed in Fort Myers, traveling across town to take on the University of Minnesota (5-1) at the Twins’ spring training facility. But the Golden Gophers — who had been brought down by their MLB opponent 10-3 on Friday — didn’t take it any easier on the Huskies than the Sox did. Northeastern couldn’t catch a break through the weekend, as Minnesota drove through double-digit runs on the Huskies both days, for scores of 12-2 and 15-5, respectively.
Game 1
The Huskies’ weekend started out with promise, as graduate student transfer Andrew Wertz put away a 1-2-3 inning to kick things off. But one frame later, Wertz loaded the bases with a double and a pair of walks. The Golden Gophers took the opportunity in stride, sending all three ducks around the pond for a lead they would never look back from.
By the time the fourth inning rolled around, Minnesota was leading 4-0, and the Huskies looked to chip away at the deficit. Slowly but surely, their attempts paid off — albeit marginally — as Northeastern picked up two runs on a sequence started by a Harrison Feinberg double.
That double was a bright spot in an extra-base hit drought that’s struck the early weeks of Northeastern’s season. Through five games, the Huskies have picked up just nine doubles and one home run.
On the other hand, the Golden Gophers picked up five doubles and a homer of their own in Saturday’s game alone, including a solo shot from junior Charlie Sutherland in the bottom of the fifth.
After Wertz had already given up five earned runs and righty Matthew Sapienza had allowed four more, the Huskies looked to redshirt junior Joseph Hauser for relief in the mid-sixth. But relief wasn’t what Northeastern got. Hauser immediately let through both inherited baserunners on a one-out double from Easton Richter, then Richter came home himself on an RBI single from senior Weber Neels.
By the bottom of the seventh, the Huskies’ bats had gone quiet, and Minnesota just kept climbing. Their efforts were powered by junior Jack Spanier, who went 5-for-8 through both games. The 2024 All-Big Ten Freshman Team member has hit his junior season like a tornado after a slight dip in production last season. Through the first six games of his draft-eligible year, Spanier is slashing .476/.621/.762.
In the final stanza, the Golden Gophers tallied a single and drew a walk, but a wild pitch advanced them both into scoring position. Freshman Jameson Martin stepped up to the plate, the end of the game on the line, and sealed the deal for Minnesota with a two-RBI single to stop the Huskies’ campaign early.
Minnesota’s 12-2 mercying was a tough way for Northeastern to start the series, but they came into Sunday’s game refreshed and ready to go.
Game 2
The second game between the Huskies and Golden Gophers brought a lot more contest, at least at first.
Junior Isaac Morton started on the mound for the Gophers, but struggled to put the Huskies’ batters away. The first inning could’ve turned disastrous for the righty, who hit two batters and allowed two walks on top of a Feinberg single, but he limited the damage to a 2-0 Northeastern lead.
The Huskies doubled their run total in the second, when Ryan Gerety pummeled through a 2-RBI single to bring home Henry DiGiorgio and Carmelo Musacchia, but their lead didn’t last long.
Senior transfer Jack Bello made a statement with his first home run in a Golden Gophers uniform. With Minnesota heading into the bottom of the second down 4-1, the team made their plate appearances count, loading the bases for Bello to bring home the lead with a grand slam.
Richter followed that up with a solo homer of his own, which ended the day of Northeastern starter Andrew Rogovic.
Morton lasted one more run before his day ended as well, brought on by doubles from Carter Bentley and Eric Cha in the middle of Northeastern’s order at the top of the third.
Junior righty Marcus Kruzan entered in relief for Minnesota and blanked the Huskies through his 4.1-inning appearance, striking out five of 14 batters faced.
Meanwhile, the Huskies cycled through five different arms out of the bullpen, and Carson Walsh was the only one who could avoid allowing a run, striking out two in a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth.
The bottom of the seventh read similarly to the previous game. Minnesota had already taken a significant lead, 12-5, and the pitching faltered. James Morice took to the mound for the Huskies, but he allowed three walks, advanced runners, and let through a run on a wild pitch. An RBI single ended the game by a run-rule 15-5, and put the bow on another tough weekend for Northeastern.
But the loss wasn’t solely due to the pitching, although that has been a consistent issue for Northeastern. The Huskies have only had one game this season with more than five hits (21-13 loss to Iowa), and these offensive struggles can really be felt in a game in which the other team is putting up double-digit runs. On top of that, fielding errors have been prevalent throughout the team, and it was an error that let through the mercying run for Minnesota to claim their second straight run-rule game over Northeastern. After holding a team .980 fielding percentage last season, the Huskies have dropped to a collective .934 through the start of 2026.
For a program that held onto numerous national records last season — including the team lowest ERA (3.06) and longest win streak (27 games) — with significant offensive and defensive contributions throughout the lineup, there’s a lot to be desired.
The Huskies’ travels continue as they head to Baton Rouge, La. to take on Grambling State University and Louisiana State University in a four-game set this weekend. Luke Graham and Mike Kaminsky will have the call live from LSU starting Friday, Feb. 27.
Amelia Ballingall is the Editor-in-Chief for WRBB Sports. She has been a writer and broadcaster with the organization since 2022, and is a color analyst for UConn women’s hockey on ESPN+. You can read more of her work here.