Box Score | Season Statistics

PORT CHARLOTTE, Florida – Scoring during four of the final six innings of its inaugural game at the 2017 Snowbird Classic, the Northeastern baseball team nearly completed its comeback from five runs down against Ball State, despite the Huskies coming up short, 6-5, on Saturday afternoon.
 
NU starting pitcher Mike Fitzgerald recovered well after surrendering a two-run second inning and three-run third inning to the Cardinals. Upon Ball State (6-3) scoring its fifth run, the right-hander retired a string of nine batters in a row, posting three scoreless frames and completing his six-inning line with a career high, eight strikeouts.
 
Northeastern (2-6) hopped on the board for the first time during the top of the fourth. Scott Holzwasser extended his reached-base streak to eight games courtesy of being plunked with a pitch, before legging out two bases on Nick Fanneron's single that put runners on the corners. Max Burt would bring Holzwasser home during the next at-bat, channeling a ground ball to the Cardinals' second baseman that resulted in an RBI fielder's choice.
 
Cam Walsh opened a two-out rally for the Huskies during the top of the fifth, doubling for the second time this season and taking third base on Charlie McConnell's comebacker to the mound. McConnell proceeded to swipe second base, setting up Holzwasser nicely with two runners in scoring position. Although Holzwasser managed to chart an RBI on his infield single down the third-base line, McConnell went a step too far rounding third base, where he was tagged for the inning-ending out.
 
Ball State relieved starting pitcher Evan Marquardt to begin the seventh inning, although not before the Huskies had registered seven hits off the defending MAC West Division Pitcher of the Week. Mason Koppens and Cam Walsh sent the Cardinals to the bullpen a second time after the one-two combo in the NU lineup drew a pair of leadoff walks. Two batters later, Cam Hanley ended his 11-pitch at-bat with an RBI single to right field, driving in Koppens to cut Ball State's lead to 5-3.
 
Despite surrendering a run back to the Cardinals during the bottom of the seventh, Northeastern bounced back for two runs during the eighth. With Burt in scoring position, Koppens creamed a liner off the glove of the Ball State second baseman, allowing Burt to charge home to pull the Huskies within two runs at 6-4. In the wake of Koppens stealing second, Walsh delivered another RBI single, scoring Koppens and tightening the game to 6-5.
 
After Brian Rodriguez had preserved the one-run margin through the end of the eighth inning, Cam Hanley knocked a leadoff single, bringing the potential go-ahead run to the plate. However, momentum shifted in favor of the home side as Fanneron grounded into a 6-3 double play, before Burt too grounded out, ending the Huskies' late-game comeback.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will continue its stay at the Snowbird Classic with two games on Sunday, March 5, against Chicago State (11 a.m.) and Central Michigan (3 p.m.). Due to live statistics being unavailable during both games, fans are encouraged to check GoNU.com on Sunday evening to obtain results and statistics.