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FORT MYERS, Fla. – Charlie McConnell backed Sean Mellen's seven-inning, one-run start on Sunday with a three-for-four day at the plate as the Northeastern baseball team defeated Missouri, 4-2, to earn the split of the two teams' four-game series at City of Palms Park.
 
McConnell was involved in generating each of the Huskies' singular runs during the first and third innings, which sandwiched the Tigers' lone run during the bottom of the second. The NU center fielder opened the game with a leadoff single through the left side and proceeded to steal both second and third base on separate pitches, setting the stage to score easily on Jake Farrell's two-out, RBI single.
 
Two innings later, McConnell put enough distance on his fly ball to right field to score Cam Walsh, who had cracked a leadoff double to left field and taken third base on a wild pitch. McConnell remained perfect at three-for-three in stolen base attempts and improved to five-for-six in the category during the young 2018 season.
 
Northeastern (4-3) carried its 2-1 lead into the top of the fourth inning, where Ryan Solomon followed Max Burt's leadoff single with a two-run homer to left field. By game's end, the Huskies had managed to place their leadoff batter aboard seven times.
 
One week after tossing a career high, 11 strikeouts, against Creighton, Mellen limited Missouri (5-3) to one run during seven innings of work, striking out four. The sophomore left-hander walked two while scattering six hits, retiring as many as eight consecutive batters from the third to the sixth inning.
 
Mellen twice received support from the Huskies' infield, which turned successive inning-ending double plays to close both the sixth and seventh innings.
 
Brandon Dufault relieved Mellen heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, where he mowed through the Tigers, inducing three straight groundouts. Dufault would register his first career strikeout during the bottom of the ninth, but allowed Missouri to bring the tying run to the plate. Andrew Misiaszek came on to earn the final two outs and was successful in doing so, despite surrendering a pinch-hit, RBI groundout to Connor Brumfield.
 
Sunday's victory marked Northeastern's second all-time against an SEC opponent, following Saturday's 10-8 win during the two teams' doubleheader opener. NU had entered the series winless during nine previous games against SEC competition.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will return to Florida on Friday, March 2, to begin a four-game, five-day stay at the 2018 Snowbird Classic in Port Charlotte against Mount Saint Mary's (3 p.m.). NU will also oppose Dartmouth on Saturday, March 3 (3:30 p.m.), Villanova on Sunday, March 4 (3 p.m.), and Georgetown on Tuesday, March 6 (4 p.m.) – all neutral-site games.