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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Scott Holzwasser and Cam Hanley unleashed back-to-back, fourth-inning homers during the Northeastern baseball team's CAA tournament opener on Thursday at Brooks Field, but a 10-hit performance by fourth-seeded Delaware proved to be too much to handle as the top-seeded Huskies received their first loss of the postseason, 5-3, from the Blue Hens.
 
With the defeat, Northeastern (28-24) was relegated to the elimination ladder, where NU will enter at Game 8 (Friday, time TBD). The Huskies' opponent will be the winner between No. 5 College of Charleston and the loser of Thursday's semifinal game, contested between No. 2 UNCW and No. 3 William & Mary.
 
Holzwasser introduced much-needed life into the Huskies' bats when he rode the opening pitch of the fourth inning to left field for his team leading, seventh home run of the season. The rookie's swing broke up Nick Spadafino's no-hit bid and halved the Blue Hens' lead to 2-1.
 
On the very next pitch, Hanley delivered the game-tying home run to right field, circling the bags for the fifth time this season while also collecting his team leading, 41st RBI.
 
Brian Christian did his best to slow the conference's top offense in Delaware (32-21), tossing 120 pitches to steer Northeastern through seven innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked three, allowing five runs, including one unearned run.
 
Kyle Murphy faced the minimum during the final two innings of Thursday's semifinal, keeping the Blue Hens off the bases for the entirety of the eighth and ninth.
 
Christian appeared to have navigated through the second inning safely when he induced a ground ball to Holzwasser at second base, but a rare miscue by the NU infielder provided Delaware with a two-out base runner. The Blue Hens would take advantage, capitalizing on back-to-back singles hit by Diaz Nardo and Nick Tierno to score the game's first run. Brian Mayer recorded a third straight hit for Delaware that ricocheted off third base, but Charlie McConnell was there to field the deflection and throw Nardo out at the plate.
 
Two innings later, the Blue Hens upped their lead to 2-0 as Mayer's fly ball to right field landed a step in front of Jimmy Hand, allowing Jeremy Ake to score from second base.
 
After Holzwasser and Hanley had combined to tie the game at 2-2, Delaware stole Northeastern's momentum during the top of the fifth. Jordan Glover led off the inning with a single through the left side and was the runner on base during Ake's two-run homer, which he carried to left field.
 
The Blue Hens tacked on their fifth and final run during the sixth inning as Mayer laced an RBI double off the wall in left, scoring Tierno from first base.
 
Northeastern assembled a late-game rally during the bottom of the eighth. Mason Koppens started the inning as a hit batsman, taking a 2-2 pitch in the cleats. Despite the Blue Hens nabbing Koppens at second base on McConnell's fielder's choice, the play was called back as the umpires ruled that the Delaware shortstop failed to touch the bag before releasing his throw to first.
 
Pinch hitting for Nick Fanneron with two outs, Ryan Solomon sent a flare into center for an RBI single, scoring Koppens from second and bringing the Huskies within two runs at 5-3.
 
Solomon's single would be the only hit Northeastern would chart against All-CAA First Team reliever Burk FitzPatrick, who retired the Huskies in order to earn his sixth save of the year.