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BROOKLINE, Mass. – For the first time since 2005, the Northeastern baseball team is a conference regular-season champion as the Huskies defeated James Madison, 7-6, on Senior Day at Friedman Diamond and received a helpful victory from Towson to leapfrog UNCW by a half game and win the outright title.
 
Northeastern (28-23, 16-7 CAA) locked up the No. 1 seed and clinched a first-round bye in next week's CAA tournament, which will be held from May 24 to May 27 at UNCW's Brooks Field in Wilmington, North Carolina. The Huskies will open their tourney stay on Thursday, May 25, with an 11 a.m. winner's bracket semifinal matchup against either No. 4 Delaware or No. 5 College of Charleston.
 
NU seniors Cam Hanley, Jimmy Hand, and Pat Madigan shined in the Senior Day spotlight, combining to go five-for-10 and drive in four of the Huskies' seven runs. Hand went two-for-three himself and crushed a two-run homer during the bottom of the fourth inning, which brought the Huskies within a run at 4-3.
 
James Madison (24-27, 7-17 CAA) was primed to spoil Northeastern's bid at a regular-season title from the very beginning as Kyle McPherson rode David Stiehl's first pitch of the game to left center for a solo home run. Two batters later, Adam Sisk pulled the Dukes' second homer of the inning down the left field line, scoring Fox Semones and putting the visitors ahead, 3-0.
 
After JMU had tacked on another run during the top of the second, Scott Holzwasser put the Huskies on the scoreboard for the first time during the bottom of the third, sending a solo shot just over the 370-foot sign in left center.
 
Northeastern pulled two runs closer to James Madison during the bottom of the fourth. Max Burt was drilled with a 2-2 pitch in the back and moved into scoring position on a passed ball before Hand unleashed his second home run of the series to dead center field.
 
Charlie McConnell kicked off the Huskies' fifth-inning rally by beating out a well-placed ground ball for an infield single. After a fielder's choice swapped McConnell at first base for Holzwasser, Hanley punched a bouncing single through the left side, setting up NU with runners on the corners. With not enough distance on Nick Fanneron's fly ball to score Holzwasser from third base, Burt pushed a seeing-eye single under the gloves of two James Madison infielders, tying the game at 4-4.
 
JMU undid the Huskies' momentum during the top of the sixth as Ky Parrott channeled a one-out double down the right field line, moving the go-ahead runner, Brett Johnson, over to third base. After Tyler Brown had relieved Kyle Murphy, Josh Wyatt plated the first of the Dukes' two sixth-inning runs on a sacrifice fly before Ryan Coale ended Brown's outing with an RBI single to right field.
 
Holzwasser and Hanley both walked to begin the bottom of the seventh inning and were put in motion on Fanneron's ground ball to second. Although the Dukes managed to nab Hanley at second base on the fielder's choice, McPherson's throw to complete the double play at first sailed wide of the bag, allowing Holzwasser to score and pull NU within a run at 6-5.
 
Hand continued the Huskies' seventh inning with a rolling single through the right side, opening the door for Pat Madigan to drop the game-tying single into center field.
 
Northeastern scored the eventual winning run during the bottom of the eighth without a hit. After drawing a one-out walk, McConnell stole second and took off for third after Kyle Hayes' throw danced into the outfield. Hanley later drove in McConnell on a sacrifice fly to right field, collecting his 40th RBI of the season.
 
NU senior Mike Fitzgerald entered in the ninth inning and successfully extended his program saves record to 21.