BOSTON – The Northeastern baseball team recently returned from its 11-day stay in Florida and brought back many memories, including Neil McPhee's 700th-career win, James Mulry striking out Dustin Pedroia and David Ortiz, Chris Carmain earning CAA Pitcher of the Week, and many more. 

The Huskies' stay in the Sunshine State began with their 11th annual exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Fla., on Feb. 27. The Huskies arrived to the park early that morning to watch the reigning World Series Champions take infield and batting practice. McPhee caught up with old friends on the Red Sox coaching staff, Ortiz posed for countless photos, and Jonny Gomes hung out behind the batting cage and spoke with student-athletes as if he were one of them. First pitch was hours away, but the experience was already awe-inspiring. 

The Red Sox starting lineup was anything but yielding. Newcomer Grady Sizemore led off, followed by Pedroia, Ortiz, Mike Napoli, Gomes, prized-prospect Xander Bogaerts, Will Middlebrooks, Ryan Lavarnway, and Jackie Bradley Jr. Northeastern's counter on the mound? Freshman RHP Dustin Hunt.

Hunt had made only two appearances in his brief collegiate career, and both were out of the bullpen. However, the Andover, Mass., native held the Sox scoreless through the first two innings, allowing Mulry to take over in the third. Mulry, a native of West Roxbury, Mass., struck out the first two batters he faced: Pedroia and Ortiz. Pedroia was caught looking at a fastball on the outer half, and Ortiz chased a 3-2 slider for the punch out. 

The Huskies trailed, 1-0, entering the sixth inning, but singles by Shane Allen and Nick Fanneron set up Jimmy Hand's two-run double to put Northeastern in front, 2-1. The late lead was short-lived as the Sox rallied for four runs in the bottom of the frame and held on for a 5-2 win in seven innings.

Two days after playing a tight contest against Boston, the Huskies began their six-game stint in the Snowbird Baseball Classic (SBC) in Port Charlotte, Fla. The SBC opened in dramatic fashion when NU trailed Central Michigan, 5-3, entering the top of the ninth inning. Gabe Levanti began the inning with a single and both Allen and Michael Foster drew walks to load the bases. A wild pitch allowed Levanti to score, and Brad Burcroff crushed a two-run double to give the Huskies a 6-5 lead. Josh Treff's RBI single made it 7-5, and Foster faced just four batters in the bottom of the ninth to record his first save of the season.

McPhee became the 37th active coach in the nation to reach 700 career wins when the Huskies topped St. Bonaventure, 7-2, on March 2. Carmain, a senior from Methuen, Mass., tossed a career-best eight shutout innings and matched a career-high six strikeouts. The CAA later named him Co-Pitcher of the Week for his efforts. Jason Vosler finished a home run shy of hitting for the cycle while going 4-for-4 at the plate.

Following an off day, the Huskies dropped a 6-5 decision in 10 innings to New England rival Maine. The Huskies held a 5-2 lead heading into the ninth inning, but the Black Bears' Kyle Silva hit a game-tying three-run homer with two strikes and two outs. Maine's one run in the top of the 10th inning was enough to secure the win. Connor Lyons came up one hit short of matching his career high by going 4-for-5, but he did score a career-best three runs. Similarly to Vosler in the previous game, Lyons finished a home run short of the cycle.

Northeastern bounced back with a wild win against Presbyterian, 12-11. Foster hit his first home run of the season in the third inning, a two-run shot that tied the game, 4-4. Burcroff followed suit with a game-tying, two-run homer in the eighth inning, knotting the score, 11-11. Following Burcroff's home run, Foster walked and proceeded to steal both second and third. A wild pitch during an intentional walk attempt to Pat Madigan allowed Foster to score what stood to be the game-winning run.

Burcroff pitched two innings in relief to earn his first win of the season. The senior from Highland, Calif., became the first NU player since Matt Morizio in 2006 to hit a home run and earn the win in the same game.

After one more off day, the Huskies dropped another one-run game in 10 innings. Northeastern starting pitcher Nick Berger allowed just one run through eight innings, but Western Michigan put a runner on second base with two outs in the 10th and drove him home with a walk-off single.

Northeastern closed out the SBC with a 4-3 loss to Presbyterian on March 8. Carmain was solid once again, allowing just two earned runs through seven innings. However, the Blue Hose had a bit of luck on their side in the seventh inning when a groundball bounced off the third-base bag and careened into the outfield for a two-run double that gave PC its 4-3 edge.

"It was frustrating to lose three games by such a close margin," said McPhee. "We were one pitch and two singles away from coming home undefeated (in the SBC). Knowing that we controlled opportunities to win close games, but still lost, it was very frustrating. But that's the nature of sport."

Still, the NU skipper is quick to note that negatives can simultaneously be seen as positives. "On the plus side, we were one pitch and two singles away from coming home undefeated," said McPhee. "Our pitching was good, our middle of the lineup hit well, and the defense was solid. All of those positives bode well for our future."

Northeastern opens its home schedule with a three-game series against Niagara starting on Friday, March 14, at 3 p.m.


Tweets by @GoNUbaseball .