In Hawaiian legend, it is said that the goddess Pele sent a dog to the Mauna Loa volcano to warn locals of upcoming eruptions. As the story goes, the dog was seen before two separate eruptions, but hasn’t been seen since.
The Huskies traveled 5,000 miles west for a four-game series against the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, winning one contest and forcing extra innings in another. These dogs’ brief stop in Hawaii might be the baseball gods’ way of warning the rest of college baseball of Northeastern’s potential to erupt under the right conditions this season.
For Northeastern, the most important of those conditions appears to be dependable pitching. Across the four-game set, only one Husky hurler managed to record a quality start, with the other three starters logging an average of 2.33 earned runs across 4 1/3 innings at Les Murakami Stadium.
With three series now in the books, the Huskies stand at 4-5 with a four-game set coming up this weekend at San Diego State.
Graduate student Jordan Gottesman took the ball in the series opener Friday, entering the contest with a 1.23 ERA after his most recent outing earned the Huskies a win against Indiana State. The Endicott transfer struggled to establish control, however, and watched Hawaii’s first run of the night cross the plate after he committed a bases-loaded balk in the second inning.
Gottesman went on to allow three earned runs across four innings in an eventual 11-5 loss. Hawaii had no trouble putting the ball in play, accumulating 17 hits to Northeastern’s seven. Redshirt junior Harrison Feinberg salvaged three runs for the Huskies, opening his account for the season with a two-run home run in the seventh inning, before adding an RBI on a fielder’s choice later in the game.
After the Huskies failed to match the Rainbow Warriors’ offensive firepower in the first matchup, the bats erupted one day later. Behind graduate student Will Jones’ five innings of one-run baseball, which included four strikeouts, the Huskies piled on ten hits in the 7-1 victory.
At the plate, Northeastern struck quickly and struck often. Redshirt freshman Will Fosberg smashed his first collegiate hit in dramatic fashion, lacing 2024 Cape League All-Star and Most Outstanding Pitcher award winner Itsuki Takemoto’s offering over the right field fence. Fosberg dashed around the bases, slowing into his trot only as the ball eclipsed the wall and handed the Huskies a 1-0 lead.
The two teams were locked in a 1-1 stalemate after Hawaii senior Jared Quandt drove in the game-tying run on an infield single in the bottom of the fourth inning. When the sixth frame rolled around, Northeastern reclaimed the lead behind junior Jack Goodman’s RBI single. Cam Maldonado crossed the plate as the eventual winning run, with five more Huskies making their way around the bases before the night ended. Feinberg continued his hot streak, tallying two home runs in a game characterized by aggressive base running and the long ball.
In contrast to the night before, the Huskies’ pitching was dependable. Relief pitchers Charlie Walker and Max Gitlin each posted two scoreless innings with three strikeouts, respectively, combining with Jones for ten total. Northeastern bounced back strongly Saturday, leveling the series at one apiece and handing Hawaii just its second loss of the season.
Unfortunately for the Huskies and starter Aiven Cabral, little momentum transferred over for game three. What had been an explosive offense fell silent Sunday, tallying a mere four hits in an 11-3 thrashing.
The Rainbow Warriors jumped ahead to a commanding 10-0 lead, retiring Cabral after tagging him for four runs through his four innings of work. Quandt factored into the Hawaii offense heavily, launching a home run and driving in five runs on the day.
The Huskies were held scoreless through the first seven frames, breaking through thanks to an Eric Cha RBI single in the eighth inning. The freshman recorded his first collegiate hit in the process, marking the second consecutive day a Husky hitter put Northeastern on the board in such fashion.
The two teams would trade home runs before the contest came to a close, but it was not enough for Northeastern to come back on a day where Hawaii dominated from the first pitch
With countless films, including the likes of “Jurassic Park” and “Raiders of the Lost Ark” being filmed in Hawaii, it is difficult to imagine a better show being staged on the islands. But Monday night, the series finale put together a highlight reel worthy of being shown in the box office.
In a twelve-inning thriller, the Rainbow Warriors outlasted the Huskies and won the game by a 3-2 scoreline.
For Northeastern, the night belonged to senior Jack Bowery. After allowing two runs in the second inning, the starter worked efficiently, retiring 18 straight hitters from the fifth inning onward. All told, Bowery completed ten innings of work while throwing just 108 pitches on the night.
With the score deadlocked two runs a piece, the Rainbow Warriors nearly thought they won the game when sophomore Xaige Lancaster dribbled a ball up the middle with the bases loaded. However, Northeastern senior second baseman Jack Doyle had other plans, snaring the ball in his glove and diving to the bag,earning the force out and ending the inning.
Despite their newfound momentum, the Huskies were unable to tack on a run in the 12th inning, leaving the door open for Hawaii once more. With runners on second and third, junior Matthew Miura looped a single into shallow center field, securing a 3-2 win and improving the Rainbow Warriors’ record to 10-2 on the season.
The Huskies return to action Thursday, returning to the contiguous United States to kick off the first of a four game series at San Diego State. After putting in solid performances against a strong Hawaii team when anchored by strong starting pitching, the Huskies will hope for quality starts to wrap up its western expedition.
While WRBB will not have coverage of the first two games at San Diego State, Max Schwartzberg will be live from Tony Gwynn Stadium on Saturday and Sunday. First pitch for Saturday’s game is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST, with coverage being provided on WRBBSports2.