Box Score | Season Stats | Infographic

MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – In need of a win Friday to remain in contention for the CAA postseason title, No. 3 Northeastern could not quite fend off a series of mid-game rallies by No. 5 Delaware as the Huskies were eliminated by the Blue Hens, 7-3.
 
Rob Fonseca and Cam Hanley both went two-for-five to lead Northeastern (25-30, 14-10 CAA), producing the only two extra-base hits of the day for the Huskies. Fonseca put NU on the scoreboard for the first time in the bottom of the fourth with his 15th home run of the season, while Hanley opened the sixth inning with a triple to center field.
 
Third baseman Nolan Lang notched two singles and collected an RBI out of the eighth spot in the Huskies' batting order, ending the year with a .285 batting average, the best among the squad's freshmen. Pat Madigan walked twice and singled once in the heart of the NU lineup, while catcher Josh Treff reached base three times on a base-hit and two hit-by-pitches.
 
Starter James Mulry fell victim to a three-run Delaware rally in the top of the third, and left the game in the fourth having allowed four runs, three earned, on six hits with two walks and one strikeout. Senior Isaac Lippert conceded two runs on four hits during 2.1 innings of work, while Mike Fitzgerald closed out the game, surrendering five hits and one earned run.
 
Greg Olenski led the Blue Hens with three hits, including a double, and picked up an RBI during a sixth-inning single. Left fielder Calvin Scott matched Olenski's three-hit performance, while second baseman Zach Lopes drove in three of Delaware's seven runs. Chad Martin gave up three runs on five hits and made it through 5.0 innings on the hill before handing the ball over to Nick Spadafino, who threw four scoreless frames.
 
Tyler Dean led off the first inning for Delaware (26-23, 11-13 CAA) with a first-pitch single to center field, but was taken off the bases by the Huskies' defense with a 6-4-3, inning-ending double play.
 
After Northeastern was retired in order during the bottom of the first, Hanley posted the Huskies' first hit of the day with a single that found a hole through the right side of the infield. The Blue Hens, however, turned a double play of their own in 5-4-3 fashion, clearing the bases and putting two outs up on the scoreboard.
 
Delaware threatened to break a scoreless tie in the top of the third as Brock Niggebrugge singled up the middle following a walk issued to Ty Warrington by Mulry. With one out and runners on the corners, Zach Lopes hit a two-RBI double down the right-field line, giving the Blue Hens an early 2-0 lead. Two batters later, Treff threw behind Lopes at third base in an attempt to pick-off the runner, but the throw bounced past Lang, allowing Delaware to take a 3-0 advantage.
 
Mulry's day came to an end in the fourth upon surrendering a single and a walk to Diaz Nardo. Two more walks by Lippert forced in a run that put Delaware ahead, 4-0, but a strong defensive play by Maxwell Burt at shortstop helped limit the damage to just one run.
 
Trailing by four, Fonseca homered on the first pitch he saw from Martin in the bottom of the fourth, puling NU to within three at 4-1. Northeastern would follow Fonseca's solo shot by loading the bases courtesy of an error, a walk, and a single by Treff, but the Blue Hens converted a timely 5-4-3 double play to end the Huskies' rally.
 
After taking a 5-1 lead in the fifth, Delaware added two more runs in the sixth as Olenski followed Norm Donkin's RBI double with an RBI single that gave the Blue Hens a 7-1 edge.
 
Northeastern fought back during the home half of the sixth as Hanley's fly ball to center rolled behind the diving Delaware center fielder. Hanley would score on a wild pitch to trim the Blue Hens' lead to five at 7-2, before Madigan was walked and Treff was clunked with a pitch for the second time. With two runners in scoring position, Lang ripped an RBI single through the left side, scoring Madigan to bring the deficit back to four at 7-3.
 
Despite allowing two singles in the seventh, Fitzgerald recovered to retire eight straight Delaware batters to end the game. Although NU would put two runners on base in the seventh, the comeback was simply not meant to be, as the Huskies suffered their second loss in the double-elimination tournament.
 
With Lippert's relief outing on Friday, each of Northeastern's three seniors (Nick Berger, Matt Cook, and Isaac Lippert) made their final appearance in the Huskies' red and black uniforms during this week's CAA tournament. For the time being, NU will head into the offseason and begin preparing for the spring 2016 campaign.