Box Score | Season Statistics | Infographic | Highlights

HARRISONBURG, Va. – Despite trading punch for punch with fourth-seeded UNCW during Saturday night's winner-take-all CAA championship game, the top-seeded Northeastern baseball team was unable to claim its first-ever postseason title as a conference member as the Huskies finished runner-up to the Seahawks, 7-4, at James Madison's Eagle Field at Veterans Memorial Park.
 
Senior shortstop Max Burt reached safely during each of his four plate appearances for Northeastern (36-19), doubling twice while scoring a run on Ryan Solomon's second-inning, RBI single. With his two extra-base hits, Burt surpassed Michael Foster to move into sole possession of sixth place on the Huskies' all-time hits list (213).
 
UNCW (37-21) took an immediate, 1-0 lead courtesy of Greg Jones' first-inning, leadoff homer and rushed out to a 3-0 advantage upon David Sheaffer delivering a two-run homer during the following inning.
 
David Stiehl relieved NU starter Brian Rodriguez in the wake of Sheaffer's home run and threw three masterful innings, retiring each of the nine batters he faced during his outing.
 
Northeastern matched the Seahawks' two-run second inning with RBI singles by Solomon and Mason Koppens before leveling the game during the third inning on Scott Holzwasser's solo shot to left center.
 
Sean Mellen took over for Stiehl at the start of the fifth inning with the game tied at 3-3. Mellen denied UNCW during the fifth inning but ran into trouble during the sixth inning, when Cole Weiss followed Kep Brown's one-out double with a two-RBI single up the middle, putting the Seahawks in front, 5-3.
 
Solomon shaved a run off the UNCW lead courtesy of his leadoff homer during the bottom of the sixth inning, taking Clark Cota beyond the wall in left center. However, the run would prove to be the Huskies' last of the tournament as the Seahawks would tack on unanswered insurance runs during Jones' seventh- and ninth-inning RBI singles.
 
Andrew Misiaszek relieved Mellen after Jones had put UNCW ahead, 6-4, striking out two batters across the game's final two and two-thirds innings.

Northeastern had won game one of Saturday's championship round, 3-2, against UNCW in order to force Saturday night's decisive tournament game. The Huskies had entered Saturday night having won three straight games when facing elimination, defeating fifth-seeded Delaware, 7-2, and second-seeded Elon, 5-4, on Friday.

NU also placed four players onto the 2018 CAA All-Tournament Team: Ian Fair, Jake Farrell, Scott Holzwasser, and Kyle Murphy.
 
UP NEXT
 
Northeastern will enter Monday's 2018 NCAA Tournament Selection Show (12 p.m.) with a program record, 36 wins, including 10 RPI top-100 wins and 22 victories that took place away from home. The Huskies are also the regular-season titleholders out of the CAA, which ranks No. 13 in conference RPI. Northeastern is seeking its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2003 and its first NCAA tournament at-large bid since 1973.