Box Score
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Games 8 |
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Final Score |
Northeastern 4, Western Michigan 2 (W, Berger 2-1) |
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Records |
Northeastern 4-4, Western Michigan 1-9 |
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Next Game |
vs. Valparaiso (Port Charlotte, Fla.), 11 a.m. |
PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Behind another solid outing from sophomore
Nick Berger on the mound, Northeastern scratched out a 4-2 win over Western Michigan on Saturday. The Huskies (4-4, 0-0 CAA), who managed eight hits against the Broncos, got help on offense from all around the lineup, with
Jason Vosler leading the way. The sophomore finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a stolen base in the win.
Berger moves to 2-1 on the season after going 7.0 strong innings, giving up seven hits and just two runs (one unearned) with four strikeouts and no walks allowed. Senior co-captain
Dylan Maki came entered the eighth inning for Berger in relief, throwing two scoreless innings to earn his first save of the year.
Northeastern scored first for the sixth time this season, this time thanks to a
Rob Fonseca single. In the No. 2 hole,
Michael Foster singled to left field to start things off with one out. Foster advanced to second on a Vosler groundout, and was then sent home on the Fonseca single through the left side, giving the Huskies an early 1-0 lead.
Berger kicked things off with his first 1-2-3 inning -- his first of three such innings on the day -- forcing two Broncos into grounding out and a third to pop up to
Josh Treff behind the plate. Both pitchers settled in after the first, holding each offense to just a combined six base runners through the bottom of the fourth. The Huskies threatened in the top of the fourth inning when
Connor Lyons sent a booming shot to right for a double before advancing to third on a passed ball, but WMU's Nimke held firm.
The top of the fifth, however, Northeastern was successful in pushing runs home. After DH
Sean Lyons drew a walk to open the frame,
Pete Castoldi sent one of Northeastern's three doubles on the day into left field, putting runners on the corners with no one out.
Aaron Barbosa grounded out on the next at bat, but it allowed Lyons to score NU's second run of the day. Two batters later, Vosler singled up the middle to score Castoldi, giving the Huskies a nice 3-0 lead heading to the bottom of the fifth inning.
Wester Michigan got a run on the board in the sixth, following an error to get a Bronco runner on second. A single sent Kujawa home for their first run, but Berger got Cable to ground into a double play to clear the bases of any danger. WMU struck again in the next stanza, after two singles, a wild pitch and a fielder's choice allowed a run to come home, making things interesting at 3-2.
Even though the Huskies weren't able to score right away, Maki made sure WMU wasn't in position to score again, retiring the Broncos in order to end the eighth inning. Heading into the ninth in a tight battle, the Huskies grabbed an insurance run when
Jason Vosler boomed a double into the right-field corner, sending Castoldi home for the second time. Maki once again halted any attempt by Western Michigan for a comeback, sitting down three batters in a row to secure Northeastern's 4-3 win.
The Huskies look to keep on rolling in the Snowbird Classic as a duel with Valparaiso is set for 11 a.m. Sunday at the same North Charlotte Regional Park.
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