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SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Seven dominant innings of pitching by senior Nick Berger, including six straight scoreless frames, helped keep the Northeastern baseball team in front of Incarnate Word on Friday night as the Huskies brought first-year head coach Mike Glavine his first career victory in 3-1 fashion.
 
Berger struck out nine Cardinals hitters while allowing just four hits, retiring 19 batters before surrendering his first earned run of the game on a home run to UIW catcher Colton Besett in the seventh. The NU co-captain went toe-to-toe with Incarnate Word's Cody Richey, who also pitched seven innings. Richey threw six strikeouts and walked three, giving up six of the Huskies' 11 hits.
 
Maxwell Burt went two-for-four in his first career game as a Husky, picking up a single during each of his first two collegiate at-bats. Freshmen Nolan Lang and Mason Koppens also registered base hits in their first games in the red and black uniforms.
 
UIW managed just five hits off NU pitchers, but played a clean game defensively on opening night. Base-running was somewhat of a concern, however, for both head coaches. NU was picked off once (Keith Kelly) and caught stealing once (Joey Scambia), while Incarnate Word was picked off once (Matt Morris) and caught stealing twice (Mark Whitehead, Blake Woosley).
 
Northeastern (1-0) opened the game's scoring in the top of the fourth inning when the middle of the Huskies lineup successfully moved Cam Hanley around the bags following a lead-off walk. After Jimmy Hand pushed Hanley over to third on a groundout to second, Burt singled up the middle, giving NU runners on the corners with just one out. On a 1-2 count, Scambia ripped a ball through the right side of the infield, scoring Hanley to put the Huskies on top, 1-0.
 
Two innings later, Pat Madigan blasted a solo shot down the left field line to give Northeastern a 2-0 lead. The long ball was the left fielder's first career home run, and the Freeport, New York, native finished the day going two-for-four.
 
Although Incarnate Word (0-1) cut the Huskies' lead to just one during the home half of the seventh, Northeastern responded in the top half of the eighth by stringing together a pair of lead-off doubles. Josh Treff opened the frame with a two-bag base hit down the left field line, and scored during the next at-bat after Kelly hit an RBI-double down the right-field foul line.
 
The Huskies' bullpen held of the Cardinals during the final two innings of the game courtesy of great pitching performances by Mike Fitzgerald and Aaron Civale. An error at first base by Hanley awarded UIW a lead-off base runner, but a "strike 'em out, throw 'em out" double-play combination by Fitzgerald, Treff, and Burt dismantled the Cardinals' hopes of a late-game rally.
 
Civale took the mound to start the ninth inning, and despite conceding a one-out double to Ethan McGill, rolled through the final frame and wrapped a 3-1 victory for Northeastern.
 
NU will play the second game of this weekend's three-game set on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 4:30 p.m. (EST). Junior pitcher James Mulry (0-0) will get the start for the Huskies and will matchup against Incarnate Word's Garret Cooper (0-0).