WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – In their series finale, the Northeastern Huskies (22-4, 6-3) earned series sweep of the Monmouth Hawks (9-15, 2-10) with a come-from-behind 6-4 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Down two runs in the eighth, the Huskies rallied with a three-run outburst capped off by a two-RBI single from
Luke Beckstein (1-for-4, 2RBI, SB). Offensively the Huskies also got big days from
Mike Sirota (3-for-3, double, 3 runs, walk),
Tyler MacGregor (1-for-4, double, 2 runs) and
Gregory Bozzo (1-for-3, RBI). On the mound, the Huskies pitching staff held Monmouth to just a two-run lead, allowing the offense to rally back. Decisions went to
Jake Gigliotti (W, 4-0) and
Griffin Young (SV, 6) in the win.
- The Hawks tallied the first runs of the contest in the opening inning – on a single to shallow center field, the Monmouth runner attempted to run home from first. The throw home looked to be in time but bounced off a bat on the ground and allowed the run to score.
- Northeastern knotted the game back up at 1-1 in the second – leadoff man Mike Sirota singled to center field and was advanced on a ground out, and was scored by Gregory Bozzo on an RBI single. Bozzo's hit streak was extended to seven games with the single.
- The Huskies would then go on to take the lead in the fourth on an RBI sac-bunt from Spenser Smith – he scored Mike Sirota who singled earlier in the inning and was advanced to third on a ground out and a single.
- Monmouth retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth on a two-run RBI double, leading 3-2.
- Starting pitcher Eric Yost kept the Huskies in it, pitching six innings of three-run baseball. His final line ended at three runs, two earned, on seven hits, with five strikeouts and one walk.
- In the seventh, Jake Gigliotti entered the game with the bases loaded and got out of the inning allowing just one run to score off a sac-fly, keeping the Monmouth lead at just two runs.
- With the pitching support the Huskies were able to rally and clear the four-run mark in the top of the eighth with a three-run inning.
- Tyler MacGregor started it off with a one-out double to left field, and was scored by an RBI single through the left side by Harrison Feinberg.
- The next batter, Bozzo was hit by a pitch to load the bases with Sirota on third and Feinberg on second.
- With two outs, it was Luke Beckstein who tallied the go-ahead runs with a single to left center field, scoring Feinberg and Sirota to lead 5-4.
- In the ninth, the Huskies got some insurance from Tyler MacGregor, who reached first on a walk and stealing second base. He was hit home by defensive replacement Justin Bosland, who hit an RBI single up the middle to make it 6-4.
- Gigliotti earned the win in relief with 1.2 innings of work, allowing not hits or runs, while walking one batter and striking out two.
- Getting the ball in the ninth inning was Griffin Young, who notched his sixth save of the season with a perfect inning of a pop out and two fly outs.
- Northeastern has now won 10 in a row, the longest winning streak of the season for the Huskies, and is now the second longest active streak in the NCAA.
- It's the Huskies first CAA series sweep of the season – the Huskies' lone CAA sweep in 2022 came at home against Towson.
The Huskies return home Tuesday, April 4
th for a stretch of five straight home games. Before they host Delaware in CAA play next weekend they welcome the Harvard Crimson to Friedman Diamond for the first round of the Baseball Beanpot on Tuesday afternoon at 3 p.m.
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