Jacob Oshinsky/WRBB Sports File
PHOENIX, Ariz. — After a run-rule loss Friday to open the 2026 season, Northeastern had 24 hours to regroup and meet a strong Nebraska team at Sloan Park in game two of the MLB Desert Invitational. Over three hours after first pitch, the Cornhuskers walked away with a gritty 7-4 win courtesy of an 8-for-16 showing with two outs.
Both squads entered the night off the heels of inverse Friday seven-inning games. Northeastern fell 10-0 to GCU, while Nebraska triumphed 12-2 over UConn. While pitching free passes plagued Northeastern, the cold bats (4-for-25) went overlooked, and the offensive difficulties carried into Saturday.
Northeastern went 5-for-32 (.156) at the plate and punched out 14 times, the latter mostly due to Nebraska starter Carson Jasa. Jasa struck out 24 in 18.2 innings during his freshman year, and opened his sophomore year by sitting down nine Huskies on strikes.
Mike Glavine gave the start to graduate transfer Andrew Wertz from Salve Regina after a strong fall in Brookline. Wertz pitched a clean first inning before Nebraska jumped on the board in the second with a solo home run off the bat of senior Dylan Carey over the left-centerfield fence.
The Huskies answered in the bottom of the inning with their lone two-out rally. With the bases loaded, Freshman Charlie Criscola, a Uxbridge native, stepped up to the plate to make his collegiate debut.
Criscola cleared the bases with a double to the left field gap to give Northeastern a 3-1 lead.
Nebraska responded with two major two-out rallies, as three straight hits plated multiple runs in both the third and sixth innings.
Junior Carmelo Musacchia’s single brought Northeastern square 4-4 in the fifth, but the Huskies ultimately could not keep up with the Nebraska offense. With the weekend rotation still taking shape and the bullpen being carefully managed early in the season, Glavine turned to five different pitchers to navigate the final six innings.
Graduate transfer Andrew Wertz finished his Northeastern debut with three innings pitched, allowing four runs on four hits with three walks while striking out three on 64 pitches. Senior Luc Rising, an RIT transfer, also debuted and surrendered two runs on five hits across 2.2 innings with two strikeouts.
Nebraska broke the tie for good in the sixth. A pair of singles set the table before a two-out, two-run double from senior Josh Overbeek extended the Cornhuskers’ lead to 6-4. Subsequently, Nebraska added an insurance run in the seventh.
Ryan Griffin provided the lone stability for Northeastern in relief and tossed two scoreless innings while allowing three hits and stranding both inherited runners from Rising’s outing. Juniors James Morice and Nick Coniglio each recorded two outs to close out the game.
Northeastern brought the tying run to the plate in the ninth inning but could not find the big hit, with Musacchia striking out to finish the game.
Northeastern returns to action Sunday against Iowa for the final game of the 2026 MLB Desert Invitational with first pitch at 3 pm EST. Max Schwartzberg has the call on WRBB 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.