Box Score | Infographic

FORT MYERS, Florida – During one of its best offensive games ever played against the Boston Red Sox, the Northeastern baseball team caused a stir on the base paths and set series records in both runs scored and hits on Thursday afternoon, despite the Huskies succumbing to the pro club, 9-6, at JetBlue Park.
 
Northeastern scored pairs of runs during the fourth, seventh, and ninth innings, cranking out nine hits to better the Red Sox in the category by one. The Huskies had the major-league squad sweating during the top of the ninth, capitalizing on Rafael Devers' errant throw that prolonged the game and brought the potential tying run to the plate with two outs.
 
With the win, Boston improved to 15-0 all-time against Northeastern, although the Huskies succeeded in keeping the final score within three runs for the fourth time during the last five years. Thursday's game marked the 14th consecutive year in which the Red Sox have welcomed NU to their spring training facility in Florida, while the two teams also share an April 1977 meeting at Fenway Park.
 
Senior outfielder and captain Pat Madigan registered the lone extra-base hit for the Huskies, lifting a double down the left-field line during the top of the fourth inning. Nolan Lang and Collin Casey combined to go four-for-four and score three of Northeastern's four runs during the final three innings.
 
NU starting pitcher Will Jahn blanked Boston during both the first and second innings, keeping the Red Sox without a hit until the bottom of the third, when Boston's bats finally came alive. Mitch Moreland and Sam Travis provided the fireworks for the Red Sox, each sending three-run home runs over the wall to shoot the Red Sox in front, 6-0.
 
Madigan's fourth-inning double that had followed Cam Hanley's leadoff single put Northeastern in prime position to chip away at the six-run deficit. Sure enough, Nick Fanneron plated the Huskies' first run on an RBI groundout, one at-bat before Charlie McConnell laced a base hit through the right side to reduce Boston's lead to 6-2.
 
Nate Borges calmed the Red Sox' offense down from the start of the fourth inning through the end of the sixth, allowing a run on three hits while striking out Devers.
 
Lang and Casey pegged consecutive base hits on back-to-back pitches to start the Huskies' seventh-inning rally. After Teddy Beaudet had drawn a walk off Jamie Callahan, Kyle Peterson avoided a double play by turning his grounder into a fielder's choice before Northeastern brought home a second run to make the score 7-4.
 
Trailing by five runs (9-4) heading into the ninth, NU loaded the bases immediately on three straight leadoff hits by Zach Perry, Lang, and Casey. Two batters later, Peterson beat out another double-play ball that scored Perry, lowering Boston's lead to 9-5. Scott Holzwasser appeared to ground into the game-ending out when he chopped a ball down to third base, but Devers' throw to first went astray, scoring Lang and extending the game. Ryan Solomon represented the potential game-tying run for the Huskies with two outs and runners on the corners, but was unable to send his batted ball through the infield.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern (0-3) will begin a four-game series on Friday, Feb. 24, at North Florida (2-2), including a doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 25. Mike Fitzgerald (0-0, 5.40 ERA) is projected to start Friday's game against the Ospreys, while Andrew Misiaszek (0-1, 12.00 ERA), Tom Githens (0-0, 13.50 ERA), and Kyle Murphy (0-0, 9.82 ERA) are slated to start games two through four.