Box Score
|
Game 32 |
|
Final Score |
Northeastern 4, UConn 2 (W, Lippert 3-1) |
|
Records |
NU 19-13 (7-8 CAA), UConn (18-13, 5-4 Big East) |
|
Next Game |
Tuesday at UConn (Storrs, Conn.), 3 p.m. |
STORRS, Conn. – In a battle of the Huskies, it was Northeastern that came away with the 4-2 win on Tuesday at J.O. Christian Field as NU (19-13, 7-8 CAA) and UConn (18-13, 5-4 Big East) met for the 71st time. Sophomore
Rob Fonseca led the charge for the visiting Huskies, reeling off three of the Huskis' five hits with a run scored.
Isaac Lippert earned his third win of the year, hurling six innings of scoreless work, with five strikeouts.
Fonseca led off the second inning with a first-pitch single through the left side, and
Connor Lyons did well to move him up a station on a hit-and-run in the next at-bat.
Michael Foster (1-for-3, 1R) subsequently drew a walk, and
John Puttress reached safely on an error to load the bases with just one out.
Josh Treff (1RBI) made UConn pay, hitting into a fielder's choice that brought in Fonseca for the game's first run. NU next completed a double steal, with the help of an error, which scored Foster to make it 2-0 heading into the home half of the inning.
Lippert, who retired the side in order in the first inning with two strikeouts, gave up a single in the bottom half of the second, but struck out Brian Daniello to end the frame. Both
Aaron Barbosa and
Brad Burcroff (1-for-4, 1RBI) went down swinging to open up the third, but
Jason Vosler (1R) and Fonseca drew back-to-back walks to put two on. The runners advanced on a wild pitch, and after an error on Tom Verde following a Lyons' dribbler to short, Vosler scooted home for the visiting Huskies' third run of the day.
Adding his fourth strikeout of the day, Lippert kept things rolling along for Northeastern to end the third, retiring the side for the second time in three innings, but Christian Colletti sat down Northeastern in order, fanning two Huskies to end the top of the fourth. A semblance of a pitcher's duel broke out as Lippert and Colletti both did well to keep from any runs coming across over three innings, but not without a scare from UConn. Daniello doubled down the right field line to put himself in scoring position with no outs in the fifth. After a grounder and a strikeout, Verdi blooped one to Burcroff in left, who then fired a laser to Treff at the plate, who made a great effort to hang on during a collision to end the inning.
Fonseca led off the sixth with his second base knock of the day, but after Lyons hit into a fielder's choice and Foster singled through the left side, NU attempted a double steal after which Lyons was called out at third. Foster got to third on a wild pitch, but a groundout ended the inning with no runs coming across for Northeastern. UConn added its sixth hit of the day in the bottom half of the sixth, but Lippert induced three grounders to end the frame.
Leading off the seventh inning,
Pete Castoldi (1-for-4) reached on an error by Verdi at short -- UConn's fourth of the afternoon. A sacrifice bunt from Barbosa advanced the Husky third baseman to second, and in the next at bat, Burcroff singled deep to left center to score Castoldi from second to make it 4-0.
Brad McLean came on in relief of Lippert in the seventh after the NU starter gave up two more hits to UConn. The host Huskies eventually loaded the bases, but the Northeastern freshman got out of the inning, thanks to some timely fielding, keeping the visiting Huskies up 4-0.
Fonseca grabbed his team-best third hit of the game to start the eighth, but he was caught in a double play when Lyons lined out to Daniello at second. After Foster struck out, UConn used the bottom of the eighth to make a game of it. With the bases loaded and one out, a slow grounder to first set in motion a series of events which brought two men home for UConn. But after
Dylan Maki came out to the hill, the senior recorded the final two outs to maintain a 4-2 Northeastern lead heading into the top of the ninth. Maki held on to earn his CAA-leading sixth save of the season, giving NU its 19th win of the year.
.
