Box Score BOSTON – Both
Connor Lyons and
Brad Burcroff picked up three hits and
Dustin Hunt struck out eight through six innings, but the Northeastern baseball team lost to Delaware in extra innings for the second time this weekend, 8-7 in 11 innings.
The Huskies (13-15, 2-4 CAA) and Blue Hens (14-14, 3-2 CAA) opened the three-game weekend series with a 12-inning affair on Friday, as Delaware won that game, 1-0.
Northeastern grabbed an early 3-0 lead by posting two runs in the first inning and one more in the second. Lyons (3-for-5, R, RBI, 2B, 3B) led off the game by drawing a walk and
Jason Vosler (2-for-3, 2 R) singled to right field to put runners on the corners. Freshman
Nick Fanneron followed with a triple to give NU a 2-0 lead. Northeastern increased its lead to 3-0 after Burcroff (3-for-4, R, RBI, 2B) led off the second inning with a double and then moved to third on a sac fly by
Josh Treff (0-for-5). Lyons' single to right field allowed Burcroff to easily score.
Delaware threatened to get on the board in the second when it loaded the bases after Alex Mottle doubled, Ryan Hartley walked, and Jake Clark was hit by a pitch, but Hunt posted two strikeouts in the frame and induced an inning-ending groundout to keep the Blue Hens off the board.
Delaware tagged Hunt for two runs in the third inning, but the freshman starting pitcher retired 10 consecutive Blue Hens as the Huskies held on to a 3-2 lead entering the seventh inning.
Hunt allowed just two earned runs on five hits and a walk through six innings. His eight strikeouts were one shy of his career high.
Burcroff moved from first base to the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning, and Clark began Delaware's home half of the frame by getting hit by a pitch. Clark moved to second base after a sac bunt and scored the game-tying run on a single by Joe Giacchino. However, the Huskies wasted little time in reclaiming the lead.
Vosler was hit by a pitch to lead off the eighth inning and
Gabe Levanti (1-for-6, R) followed with a single.
Sean Lyons' (2-for-5, R, RBI, 3B) bases-clearing triple put NU ahead, 5-3, and Burcroff's sac fly to right field scored Lyons to push the advantage to 6-3.
Norm Donkin began Delaware's home half of the eighth with a single, and Zach Lopes' double put runners on second and third with nobody out. An error by Vosler allowed Donkin score and Hartley to reach base, and a sac fly by Greg Olenski plated Lopes to cut NU's lead to 6-5.
The Blue Hens evened the score in the ninth inning after Ty Warrington was hit by a pitch to start the frame. Cameron Travalini came into pinch run but was thrown out after Giacchino hit into a fielder's choice. E.J. Stolzfus followed with a single, and Donkin followed by reaching on a fielder's choice that moved Giacchino to third. Lopes' infield single to short allowed Giacchino to score the game-tying run.
The Huskies claimed a 7-6 lead in the 11th inning after
Connor Lyons hit a one-out triple and both Foster and Vosler drew walks.
Keith Kelly came in to pinch hit and drew a bases-loaded walk that put Northeastern back in front.
Stolfzus began the bottom of the 11th by getting hit by a pitch and scored the game-tying run on a double by Donkin, who then moved to third on a sac bunt. Delaware walked off with the win on a single by Mottle.
"It was a tough weekend, especially losing two extra-inning games," said Northeastern head coach Neil McPhee. "In both of those games, if we had played fundamentally sound baseball then we would have won. On the positive side, we put ourselves in position to win and our starting pitching was strong. But we need to put the weekend behind us and focus on the upcoming week."
The Huskies return home on Tuesday, April 8, for a 3 p.m. game against Connecticut before traveling to Massachusetts on Wednesday for the first round of the Beanpot.
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