MT. PLEASANT, S.C. – With a seven-run eighth inning, the No. 19 Northeastern Huskies (47-9) run-ruled the UNCW Seahawks (33-23) by a score of 11-1 on Friday evening at Patriots Point to advance to the CAA Championship Game on Saturday evening.
Starting pitcher
Jordan Gottesman held the Seahawks offense in check with a huge 12-strikeout performance, a new career-high, while the offense exploded for 11 runs on 15 hits, most coming in that eighth inning to finish the game one inning early.
- Northeastern struck first in the third inning, as the lineup card flipped back to the top, and Ryan Gerety hit a one-out solo shot to straightaway center field for the 1-0 lead.
- The Huskies tallied another on three fourth-inning hits, with the final hit driving in Gregory Bozzo on an RBI double down the right field line by Jack Doyle. The Huskies led 2-0 going into the fifth.
- In the sixth, it was a one-out solo homer for Alex Lane to center field, followed by a single for Doyle and an RBI double by Gerety to extend the lead to 4-0.
- UNCW responded with a two-out solo home run to left field in the top of the seventh, cutting into the NU lead, 4-1.
- The Huskies would add that run back on, and then some, with a seven-run bottom of the eighth inning to finish the game. With back to back hits from leadoff man Matt Brinker (double) and Gregory Bozzo (single), Jack Doyle hit a sacrifice fly to score Brinker from third for the 5-1 lead.
- After a walk to Gerety, the Huskies blew the game open with an RBI ground-rule double by Cam Maldonado scored Bozzo and Gerety for the 7-1 lead.
- Following Maldonado was Harrison Feinberg, who hit his second homer of the tournament to make it 9-1.
- After a single for Goodman, Carmelo Musacchia walked off the game with a two-run homer to left field for the final score of 11-1.
- Jordan Gottesman had another strong start, working seven innings with just two hits, one of which was the solo homer, the only blemishes on his line. He had seven strikeouts through three innings, and set a new career high with his 12th strikeout to end his outing.
- Gottesman's 12 strikeouts are the most by a Husky since 2022, when Cam Schlittler also struck out 12 against JMU in a 4-1 victory, working 6.2 innings.
- Northeastern will play in the CAA Championship round for the fifth time in program history, the fourth time in the last five seasons. It's the Huskies' first trip to the championship game from the winner's bracket.
Northeastern will play the winner of #2 UNCW and #4 Charleston on Saturday afternoon, May 24
th at 5 p.m. at Patriots Point.
