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The Northeastern University baseball team was defeated in the 2011 season opener Friday night, dropping a 6-3 contest to the Sacred Heart Pioneers.

A five-run third inning ultimately doomed the Huskies, putting them in a hole they were unable to climb out of. 

Senior co-captain Les Williams pitched 6-plus innings, allowing six runs (five earned), while fanning four for Northeastern. Junior co-captain Matt Miller was the offensive star for the Huskies, going 3-5 with a run.

The Huskies burst out of the gates strong, receiving a brilliant first frame from Williams. The Toronto, Ontario native used both his arm and glove to get himself out of the opening inning, striking out the first two batters he faced looking, and making an unassisted play along the first base line to get out of the first.

Northeastern fed off of this momentum early, as Miller had one of his three singles on the night to get things rolling for the Huskies. After an Alan Pastyrnak sacrifice bunt to get Miller into scoring position, sophomore Jon Leroux singled to put runners on the corners with just one out. Senior transfer Matt Howard immediately capitalized, putting the Huskies on top 1-0 when his grounder was misplayed by Sacred Heart 3B MJ Shiafano. The Huskies were unable to further capitalize, and ended the first inning up 1-0.

After a scoreless second inning, Sacred Heart put the game out of reach with a five-spot in the third. Hunter Phillips led off the third with a sinking shot that dropped just in front of Howard. Rocco Gondek singled immediately after, putting runners at first and second with no one out. A Chris Whittemore sacrifice bunt and a one-out Steve Tedescho walk loaded the bases for Schifano, who drove in Phillips with a sacrifice fly to center. The next batter, John Murphy, plated two Pioneers with a double to deep right to put the Huskies in a 3-1 hole. Rob Griffith singled to short, driving in Murphy to put the Pioneers up 4-1. Catcher Derick Horn made the score 5-1 after his single to left was misplayed by Jeff Dunlap, scoring Griffith all the way from first, and putting Horn at third with two out. The ninth batter of the inning, JJ Edward, popped up to conclude the third inning.

Williams settled down thereafter, mowing through the Pioneers lineup to keep Sacred Heart's lead in check until the seventh. After a Whittemore single through the left side, Williams was pulled in favor of junior Sam Berg, who allowed two bunt base hits to Tedescho and Shiafano to load the bases with nobody out. Berg mitigated the damage however, inducing a double-play that plated just one. Sacred Heart was unable to create any more damage, as Griffith grounded out to senior Ryan Maguire to end the seventh.

The Huskies attempted a rally in the eighth, as Pastyrnak singled to left to lead off the inning. Leroux hit a towering double to deep left, driving in Pastyrnak and cutting the score to 6-4. After Howard and John Puttress ground outs, senior Jeff Dunlap drove in Howard to cut the deficit in half at 6-3. Freshman Aaron Barbosa pinch-ran for Howard, and advanced to second after newcomer Jimmy Filter singled to put two on with two out. A bold double-steal put both in scoring position to put pressure on the Pioneers, but Ryan Maguire's fly out to right field ended the inning.

In the ninth, Northeastern's bats were unable to mount one final charge, garnering no hits in the final frame to fall to 0-1 on the season.

With the defeat, the Huskies fall to 45-43-3 all-time on opening day.

Saturday, Northeastern will battle the new look Boston Red Sox at City of Palms Park in Fort Meyers, Fla. at 6 p.m. Senior JT Ross will toe the rubber for the Huskies, and will be matched up against Kyle Weiland.