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BROOKLINE, Mass. – Bringing runs across the plate during six of its eight offensive innings on Sunday, the Northeastern baseball team cruised to the 9-3 victory against Elon at Friedman Diamond as the Huskies tied off their three-game sweep of the Phoenix, elevating their best CAA regular-season start in program history to 5-1.
 
NU left-hander Sean Mellen struck out six batters during six shutout innings – the sophomore's third shutout start of the 2018 season. Mellen, who improved to 7-1 upon receiving Sunday's winning decision, pitched with the lead from the beginning of the second inning as Northeastern (18-10, 5-1 CAA) posted solitary runs during the first through fourth innings, then scored four runs during the bottom of the sixth.
 
Charlie McConnell, Ian Fair, and Mason Koppens each registered two hits and two runs apiece for the Huskies, who have now won 19 of their last 20 games at Friedman Diamond, dating back to the 2017 season.
 
Northeastern's first offensive inning foreshadowed an afternoon of defensive woes for Elon (17-15, 4-5 CAA). After McConnell had legged out a challenging infield single to open the inning, Jake Farrell prolonged the Huskies' two-out state upon beating Shawn Blake's bobbled recovery to first base. The Huskies took advantage of the error during the next at-bat, when Max Burt sent a shallow chopper to shortstop and narrowly survived the play at first base, allowing McConnell to score and give NU the 1-0 lead.
 
In the wake of the Huskies tacking on a second unearned run during the bottom of the second, Scott Holzwasser led off the third inning with a solo home run – his third homer of the season. Ian Fair followed during the fourth inning with another leadoff extra-base hit, tripling to the right field corner and scoring during the next at-bat courtesy of John Mazza's sacrifice fly to center field.

With a 4-0 advantage, the Huskies capitalized on two more Elon errors during the bottom of the sixth inning to double their lead to 8-0.
 
Fair caught a break with one out when the underhand throw following his chopper to the pitcher's mound was lobbed over the head of the Phoenix' first baseman, Blake. Mazza, Koppens, and McConnell then strung together successive singles to push Northeastern's edge to 5-0, while Cam Walsh drew an RBI, bases-loaded walk off Ryan Conroy, ending the Elon starter's outing at five and one-third innings.
 
Holzwasser would pick up an RBI on his fielder's choice that scored two runs – the latter of which came home courtesy of the Phoenix' fourth error of the ballgame.

Elon scored three runs, two of which were unearned, against Kyle Angel during the top of the eighth inning.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will compete for its seventh Baseball Beanpot championship on Tuesday, April 10, when the Huskies take on Harvard at Boston College's Brighton Field. The final round of the 29th annual Baseball Beanpot will begin with the consolation game between Boston College and Massachusetts at 3 p.m., while the championship game will follow approximately 45 minutes after its conclusion.