Box Score BOSTON – Five Huskies gathered multiple hits at Hofstra on Saturday afternoon, but the Northeastern baseball team relinquished a couple of four-run leads in its 10-8 loss to the Pride.
The Huskies (20-23) grabbed a 1-0 lead in the first inning after
Michael Foster (1-for-5, R) and
Jason Vosler (3-for-5, 2 R, 2B) hit consecutive singles, and
Brad Burcroff's (1-for-5, R, RBI) deep sac fly allowed the runners to tag up and advance to second and third.
Nick Fanneron (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI) followed with an infield single to short as Foster touched home plate to give NU an early edge.
The Pride (18-19) answered right back in the bottom of the opening frame with an RBI single by Matt Ford, but the Huskies posted four runs in the third inning to take a commanding 5-1 lead. Vosler led off the third with a single and Fanneron hit a grounder to third, but the Hofstra third baseman threw the ball away, allowing Vosler to move into scoring position. The Huskies loaded the bases after
Cam Hanley (2-for-5, R, RBI) reached base on a throwing error by the Pride second baseman, and
Sean Lyons (2-for-3, R, 3 RBI) doubled down the right-field line to score both Vosler and Fanneron and give NU a 3-1 advantage. Northeastern added to its lead after a pair of wild pitches during
Josh Treff's (2-for-3) at-bat allowed Hanley and Lyons to come around and score.
Hofstra again quickly responded by posting three runs in the home half of the third. Ryan Donovan led off with a walk and Robbie Cafiero followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position. T.J. Ehrsam's single scored Donovan, and Kenny Jackson drew a walk to load the bases for Matt Ford.
Ford hit a grounder to first base, but Burcroff's errant throw allowed Cafiero to score. Eric Ferguson reached base on a fielder's choice that forced Ehrsam out at home, but Brad Witkowski hit a single that scored Jackson and cut NU's lead to 5-4.
The Huskies regained some breathing room in the top of fourth inning thanks to RBI singles by Burcroff, Hanley, and Lyons. Vosler got the rally started with a two-out double and scored on Burcroff's base hit to left field. Burcroff moved into scoring position after a single by Fanneron and then scored on Hanley's knock through the right side. Lyons pushed the Huskies' lead to 8-4 after his single to right field allowed Fanneron to score from second, but that stood as Northeastern's final run of the game.
Donovan's solo home run in the bottom of the fourth brought the Pride to within 8-5, and Hofstra evened the score in the fifth inning with an RBI single by Witkowski and a two-run double by Brian MacDonald. Jackson's two-run home run in the eighth inning sealed the win for Hofstra.
Northeastern starting pitcher
Chris Carmain led the CAA with a 1.21 ERA entering Saturday's game, but the senior allowed seven earned runs on 10 hits through 4.2 innings.
"Although Chris had his first down day of the season, as a whole we continue to play very competitive baseball in all aspects of the game," said Northeastern head coach Neil McPhee. "We're performing well both offensively and defensively at the most important time of the year."
The Huskies and the Pride conclude their weekend series on Sunday, May 4, at 12 p.m.
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