BOSTON – Following an emotional, 1-2 weekend against conference foe Georgia State, Northeastern looks to contend for city and state bragging rights as the Huskies take on the Massachusetts Minutemen in the 2013 Baseball Beanpot Championship on Monday. First pitch between the two clubs, who will meet for the second time this season, is slated for 5 p.m., right after the consolation game between Boston College and Harvard at 2 p.m.
NU and UMass have a fair amount of history in the Beanpot, as the two have met a total of 11 times before, including three times in the championship. The Huskies hold a 6-5 Beanpot record versus the Minutemen, but UMass owns a 2-1 record in those three championship contests.
Northeastern will throw
Isaac Lippert, after freshman
James Mulry got the start in the Huskies' 10-2 win over Harvard to earn the right to play for a title. Lippert is 4-1 on the year with a 2.23 ERA to boot. Northeastern, which is 23-22 all-time in the Baseball Beanpot, is looking to capture its sixth tournament championship. NU is playing in the final round for the 12th time since 1990, having gone 5-6 in the previous 11.
The last time the Red and Black brought home the championship was in 2009, after a 16-5 drubbing of Harvard in the first round and a 5-3 win over UMass in the championship game. Northeastern finished that season 28-25 that season, 4-7 against regional opponents. This season, the Huskies are 22-15 through 40 games, 7-1 against teams in New England.
The Minutemen arrive at Fenway Monday evening with a 10-24 record, going 4-11 in conference play. UMass, last year's Beanpot champions, is 1-6 in its last seven outings, just after a seven game stretch where the club went 5-2.
UMass is a young squad with just four seniors on the roster. Leading the way at the dish are Adam Picard and Ryan Cusick for the Minutemen. Picard owns a .313 average (36-for-115) with eight doubles, three home runs and a team-best 25 RBI, while Cusick is batting .328 (44-for-134) with a team-high 24 runs scored, and 11 RBI. Batting .239 on the season, Dylan Begin leads the squad with four homers.
Massachusetts has a young pitching staff, but the Minutemen will go with a proven arm in junior Aaron Plunkett on the hill for Monday's title game. Plunkett owns an 0-3 record this season, with a 4.33 ERA.
Before the two sides met earlier in 2013 (a 3-1 win in Northeastern's favor at Friedman Diamond), the Huskies had lost three straight in the series, but were winners of 10 in a row from 2004-10.
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