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PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. – Despite nine different players recording at least one hit in the game, the Northeastern baseball team suffered a 5-4 defeat at the hands of Kentucky on Saturday in the Huskies' second game of the 2015 Snowbird Classic.
 
Sophomore ace Dustin Hunt assembled his best pitching performance of the year, striking out a season-high nine Wildcats hitters while allowing three runs, two earned, on six innings in 5.0 innings on the mound. Hunt was in line for the loss when he left the game following a 40-minute rain delay, but kept Northeastern within striking distance by denying Kentucky opportunities to put more runs up on the scoreboard.
 
Center fielder Michael Foster posted the only multi-hit day for the Huskies, finishing two-for-four with one walk and one run scored. Cam Hanley reached base twice on a walk and a single, while Keith Kelly scored twice without recording a hit on the afternoon.
 
Redshirt-junior Rob Fonseca belted his first hit of the 2015 season during the fourth inning, and reached base again in the eighth with a walk. Senior Isaac Lippert threw two strikeouts during 2.1 innings of relief work, allowing two runs on four hits.
 
Kentucky (6-3) came out strong in the first inning once starter Zack Brown had sat the Huskies down in order to begin the game. After Hunt issued a two-out walk to Ka'ai Tom that moved Kyle Barrett over to second base, Thomas Bernal ripped a single to center field that turned into two runs courtesy of a throwing error by Treff as he tried to nab Bernal on the extra-base attempt.
 
Trailing, 3-0, entering the fifth inning, the Huskies' offense came to life courtesy of a lead-off single by Jimmy Hand. The sophomore infielder later advanced to second on a wild pitch by Brown, and successfully navigated the bases to score Northeastern's first run on an RBI-groundout by Maxwell Burt. Two batters later, Treff was caught in a run-down between first and second, but Kelly managed to score with the distracted infield.
 
After Kentucky had taken a 4-2 lead immediately following the rain delay, NU responded in the top half of the seventh with exceptional base running. Kelly, who reached on a walk, went first-to-third on a single by Burt down the left field line, and scored during the next at-bat when Treff grounded into a 5-4-3 double play.
 
Behind by one run, 4-3, Northeastern tied the game up when Kentucky's Tom mishandled a single by Pat Madigan, allowing Fonseca to move up to third and Foster to score. Lang drove in what he thought was the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to left, but the Wildcats successfully appealed that Fonseca had left third base on the tag play too early, resulting in the final out of the inning.
 
A fielding error by Burt opened the door for Kentucky in the bottom of the eighth as the Wildcats ultimately went ahead, 5-4, on an RBI-single by catcher Greg Fettes. Northeastern would rally during the ninth and have a great look at tying the game again by loading the bases, but Fonseca was called out at the plate on a check-swing strike thrown by UK closer Spencer Jack.
 
The Huskies will continue their weekend stay in Florida on Sunday, March 1, with a 1:30 p.m. game against Chicago State. Northeastern will send James Mulry (0-2, 6.24 ERA) to the hill against Dillion Engle (1-0, 4.66 ERA) as NU looks to win its first game at the 2015 Snowbird Classic.