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MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – Junior
Aaron Civale struck out seven batters over seven strong innings to lead the Northeastern baseball team (27-22, 10-8 CAA) to a 3-2 win in the weekend series opener at the College of Charleston (25-23-1, 8-11 CAA) on Friday evening at Patriots Point.
Civale scattered nine hits and allowed just one earned run to improve to 7-3. With seven strikeouts, Civale also surpassed the 100-strikeout plateau on the season to become the fourth different pitcher in NU history to fan 100 or more batters in a year.
The Northeastern bullpen took over in the eighth as sophomore
Tyler Robinson pitched a clean frame, before giving way in the ninth to redshirt junior
Mike Fitzgerald, who set a new single-season program record with his 10th save of the year.
Freshman
Jake Farrell hit his second home run of the season–a solo shot in the fourth inning–while classmate
Cam Walsh went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.
Juniors
Pat Madigan and
David Hopkins each added a pair of hits as each team recorded 11 knocks on the day.
Cougars starter Bailey Ober was the tough-luck loser after turning in a complete-game performance with a career-high 13 strikeouts.
Northeastern got to Ober early in the game when Walsh came around to score in the top of the first following an RBI single by redshirt sophomore
Zach Perry.
The College of Charleston tied the score on an unearned run in the bottom of the first, before the visitors pushed back in front on Farrell's homer in the fourth.
Catcher
Josh Treff–who also caught two runners stealing–added some insurance in the fifth with an RBI single to make it 3-1.
The hosts pulled within a run once again in the 6th, but could get no closer, despite leaving 12 men on base for the game.
The teams will do battle once again on Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
Notes
* Civale is the fourth different pitcher in NU history to strike out at least 100 batters in a single season, joining Adam Ottavino (who did it in 2005 and '06), Donald Eason (1954) and Steve Grolnic (1966).
• Fitzgerald broke Bob Nicklas' (1991) program-record for saves in a single season.
