BROOKLINE — Exiting the game in the seventh inning with just one earned run to his name, Northeastern’s starter senior Ryan Griffin received an applause from the Friedman faithful. On a day where the offense struggled, a lengthy start from Griffin came at the perfect time.
Though he only threw 53 percent of his pitches for strikes, Griffin still found success when battling back from behind in the count, forcing weak contact from the Towson hitters, with 11 outs being groundouts. The right-hander’s performance lowered his season earned run average to 1.96 through his first six starts.
“[Griffin] obviously gave us a chance to win there, and I don’t think he was as sharp as he’s been,” said head coach Mike Glavine. “He found a way to compete and battle, and the one run there, we gift wrapped it to them. But other than that, he pitched great and anytime you get six plus from your starters right now, it’s huge.”
The Northeastern offense got an early start, cashing their first runs of the game in the second inning on a two-out, two-RBI single off the bat of junior infielder Chris Walsh. The rally began after a groundout and a strikeout induced by Towson starting pitcher senior Dutch Deprospero. A 10-pitch at bat from sophomore first baseman Eric Cha ended in a hit by pitch, and was followed up by a first-pitch single up the middle and stolen base from sophomore catcher Cooper Tarantino. With runners on second and third, Walsh cashed in both ducks on the pond.
The Huskies would find themselves in identical situations the following two innings, with runners in scoring position and two outs, but could not capitalize. Both the third and fourth innings ended in swinging strikeouts, bringing Deprospero’s total to six K’s prior to his departure from the game. Deprospero went out for his fifth inning of work, and before the crowd had fully settled back in after the break, senior designated hitter Matt Brinker crushed the first pitch he saw way over the left field wall to extend Northeastern’s lead to 3-1.
“Cha, that at-bat was huge with two outs and nobody on,” Glavine said. “Then we scored the two runs. Walsh gets the big hit, and then, obviously, Brinker ends up with the game winner. So we did just enough on offense, but we got some work to do.”
Glavine’s lack of enthusiasm for the hitters’ effort is well-warranted, as they stranded seven runners on base in eight innings of offense. Towson’s bullpen silenced the Huskies in their combined four innings on the bump, with senior lefty Matt Lynch taking the bulk of the action. Finishing after three innings, Lynch gave up just two hits and a walk on 39 pitches.
Northeastern’s bullpen was similarly effective for the final two innings of the contest. Graduate student Matthew Sapienza and sophomore Andrew Rogovic combined to hold the Tigers to one hit and no runs.
“We didn’t want [Griffin] to go face the lineup a fourth time around, so they came back around to Heckleman, who I think is their best hitter,” Glavine said. “I just wanted to get him a different look, and so Sapienza ended up coming in and this is a guy we trust, and is a veteran, so he did a really good job there. Then [Rogovich] has elite stuff, and you bring a guy in throwing 94 to 96, topping 97, with a really good slider, cutter, and curveball, he’s a guy we really trust right now, and so that was a big win.”
With the opening series sweep at Friedman Diamond, the Huskies improve to 5-1 in CAA play and 9-7 overall. Additionally, the winning streak at home moves to 22 games dating back to last season. With five wins in the first six conference games, Northeastern sits atop the CAA North, tied in first with Monmouth.
“We did enough to win, really,” Glavine said. “I didn’t like the way we performed offensively, as there were some mistakes, but we found a way to win. That’s all that matters right now. We’re a work in progress, and it was great to be home and take care of, take care of business here, and get a serious sweep is huge.”
The Huskies remain at Friedman Diamond for a Tuesday afternoon matchup against Merrimack this coming week. Max Schwartzberg and Jacob Phillips have the call with first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Samuel Glassman is a second-year student at Northeastern University who has been with WRBB Sports since February 2025, covering women’s basketball and baseball. You can find him on Twitter here.