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COLUMBIA, S.C. – Despite smacking a season-high tying 15 hits off No. 12 South Carolina pitchers on Sunday afternoon, the Northeastern baseball team came up short during its ninth-inning rally as the Gamecocks fended off the Huskies for a 6-4 win in the weekend series finale.
 
Northeastern (2-4) became the first squad in the NCAA this year to register 15 or more hits against any of the 14 SEC schools. The Huskies also led the Gamecocks on Sunday for four and a half innings, the longest duration that NU has ever led an SEC team in eight all-time games.
 
Outfielder Pat Madigan had a career day against South Carolina (6-1), going a perfect five-for-five from the plate and scoring once in the first inning. Shortstop Michael Foster improved his hit streak to five consecutive games to start the 2015 campaign, recording his third multi-hit game of the season (two-for-five). Madigan and Foster lead Northeastern in hitting this season through six games with respective batting averages of .542 and .500.
 
Third baseman Nolan Lang went two-for-five on the afternoon, scoring once and picking up one RBI as well. Joey Scambia hit one-for-two and collected an RBI in the sixth inning, while designated hitter Nick Fanneron ended the game going one-for-three, tallying his second RBI of the year.
 
James Mulry opened the game strong for the Huskies on the mound allowing six hits during the first four frames, but ran into a hot South Carolina lineup in the bottom of the fifth that did him in for three earned runs, leaving him with four total for the game. Mike Fitzgerald allowed four hits in 1.1 innings of relief work, while Aaron Civale struck out one, walked one, and surrendered one hit to keep the Gamecocks in striking distance at six runs.
 
Northeastern came out on fire in the top half of the first inning during a two-out rally. After singles by Foster and Madigan, Fanneron threaded a ball up the middle that allowed Foster to score, and Lang followed suit with an RBI-single to right that scored Madigan. The Huskies smoked four hits in the first against South Carolina starter Josh Reagan, who lasted just 4.0 innings and came away with a no decision.
 
The Gamecocks made it 2-1, Northeastern, in the bottom half of the first as Gene Cone scored from third base on a wild pitch by Mulry. Both offenses were relatively quiet until the fifth inning, when South Carolina scored five runs with the help of a three-run home run by Alex Destino.
 
A lead-off single by Lang in the sixth gave the Huskies something to work with following the Gamecocks' rally, and a base-hit by Levanti helped move him over to second. After a wild pitch moved Lang and Levanti into scoring position, Scambia hit a sacrifice fly to left, driving in Lang to cut the South Carolina lead to 6-3.
 
Northeastern had several opportunities to cut into the Gamecocks' advantage late in the game, especially with the bases loaded in the seventh after singles by Maxwell Burt and Madigan as well as a walk by Piscopo. South Carolina made a pitching change, bringing in Reed Scott to pitch out of the jam, which he successfully did by forcing Lang into an inning-ending double play.
 
NU would again have two base runners in the top of the eighth, but Josh Treff and Burt were retired by Taylor Widener as the Gamecocks preserved their three-run lead.
 
In need of a comeback in the ninth, Foster doubled as the Huskies' lead-off man, advancing to third on Madigan's fifth hit of the day. Foster scored while Madigan advanced to second on a wild pitch by Widener, but the South Carolina closer struck out Hand and retired Lang and Levanti to seal up a 6-4 victory.
 
Northeastern will travel to Port Charlotte, Florida, on Saturday, Feb. 28, for the opening day of the 2015 Snowbird Classic. The Huskies will square off against Kansas at 10:30 a.m. in their first game of the day, and will play Omaha at 3 p.m. later that afternoon. NU will play two more tournament games on Sunday, March 1 (Chicago State), and Monday, March 2 (Mount St. Mary's), before meeting the Boston Red Sox in its annual spring exhibition game on Tuesday, March 3.