Eva Ciolek Passeri/WRBB Sports
BROOKLINE — Off the heels of the program’s first CAA series loss in two seasons, Northeastern returned home to Friedman Diamond for a midweek tilt with UConn. Despite playing a shortened seven-inning game, the final out arrived over three and a half hours after first pitch in a 21-5 UConn triumph.
Northeastern pitching walked a season-high 13 batters on the day, and UConn put up crooked numbers in multiple innings, highlighted by a dramatic 13 innings across the final two frames.
“Just an awful game for us,” said Northeastern head coach Mike Glavine. “We’re in some trouble right now, there is no question about it. It’s hard to win when you walk 13 and perform the way we did.”
Glavine handed the reins to redshirt sophomore David McSweeney to make a third consecutive midweek start. The southpaw finished his day tossing just 1.2 innings and allowing four earned runs on four hits and two walks.
Northeastern bounced back from that rough start, tying the game 4–4 in the bottom of the third inning on senior Harrison Feinberg’s sixth home run of the season.
However, UConn immediately answered with another four runs in the top of the fourth, punctuated by junior Tyler Minick’s bases-clearing double to lead the game 8–4.
Freshman phenom Camden Righi plated eight of UConn’s 21 runs and fell a double shy of the cycle.
In addition to benefiting from free passes, Connecticut electrified at the plate, hitting 5-for-12 with two outs, 9-for-22 with runners on, and 8-for-17 with runners in scoring position, or RISP.
Of Northeastern’s eight hits, only two (2-for-13) came with runners on in a 0-for-8 showing with RISP. The fifth run came when freshman AJ Aschettino grounded out to second base in the bottom of the fourth with the UConn infield back.
“[RISP struggles] is a common theme,” Glavine said. “It happened this [past] weekend [against Hofstra]. For whatever reason, guys just feel pressure in those situations and we’re not good at it.”
Going into a weekend series against Monmouth, atop the CAA with a 10-2 conference record, Glavine calls for a “reset.”
“The first-place team is coming into town and to our field,” he said. “We have lost three out of four. It is embarrassing to get run-ruled on your own field.”
Northeastern returns to action Thursday and begins a three-game set against Monmouth. First pitch is scheduled for 2:30 pm with Max Schwartzberg on Sports+.
Max Schwartzberg is a junior at Northeastern and covers hockey, basketball, and baseball in print and on air. He is also a Cape Cod Baseball League announcer for the Hyannis Harbor Hawks. You can read his articles here and follow his Instagram here.