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STORRS, Conn. – Nick Fanneron's two doubles were the underlying constant during the Northeastern baseball team's two crooked innings on Monday afternoon at Connecticut's J.O. Christian Field as NU won the all-Huskies matchup and its 2017 non-conference finale, 5-3.
 
Fanneron recorded both the first hit and the first run of the day for Northeastern (25-23), which concluded its eight-game road trip with wins during each of its final three affairs. The Huskies' bats combined to outhit UConn, 10-4, while the NU pitching quartet of David Stiehl, Brian Rodriguez, Tyler Brown, and Mike Fitzgerald combined to hold Connecticut (28-22) to solitary runs during the first, fifth, and eighth innings.
 
In response of UConn grabbing a 1-0 lead during the preceding inning, Fanneron opened the top of the second with a leadoff double down the right field line. Moving up 90 more feet on a wild pitch by the Huskies' starting pitcher, Ronnie Rossomando, the NU designated hitter proceeded to tag and score on Jimmy Hand's sacrifice fly to center, leveling the game at one run apiece.
 
Max Burt, who had been hit by a pitch prior to Hand's at-bat, also tagged and advanced on the sacrifice, strategically moving into scoring position. Cam Walsh followed with a playable infield ball, but a defensive miscue by Connecticut allowed Burt to round third and score, putting Northeastern in front, 2-1.
 
After surrendering a first-inning run, Stiehl motored through the UConn lineup until the bottom of the fifth, when an errant throw by Charlie McConnell presented the rookie hurler with two base runners and all three outs left to collect. Inducing a ground ball for the first out, Stiehl then darted off the mound to field Anthony Prato's squeeze bunt, but the pitcher's glove flip to Michael Geaslen arrived late at the plate as Connecticut tied the game at 2-2.
 
Northeastern's leadoff combination of McConnell and Scott Holzwasser helped kick off the Huskies' three-run, five-hit seventh inning that broke the 2-2 tie. McConnell stroked a one-out single up the middle before Holzwasser doubled down the left field line, moving both runners into scoring position.
 
With the UConn infield shifting three infielders to the right side of the diamond, Cam Hanley hit over them all, lacing an RBI single into right field that gave Northeastern a 3-2 edge. Fanneron continued the inning with a high chopper that bounced over the Connecticut first baseman, rolling into foul territory and resulting in an RBI double - the senior's second of the ballgame.
 
Burt registered the fourth consecutive Northeastern hit during the inning, singling through the left side and earning his 27th RBI of the season.
 
UConn would tighten the score to 5-3 on Brown's eighth-inning balk, but came close to scoring the tying runs against Fitzgerald during the bottom of the ninth. Two walks and a defensive error by Northeastern allowed Connecticut to load the bases, but Fitzgerald recorded three straight outs to earn his second save of the season.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will begin its final regular-season series on Thursday, May 18, against James Madison. First pitch between the Huskies and the Dukes is set for 2:30 p.m.