WILMINGTON, N.C. -- The Northeastern Huskies won two more elimination games on Saturday at Brooks Field, defeating Hofstra 5-4 and top-seeded Campbell 7-4 to fight their way into the CAA Championship game. Andrew Wertz saved both contests — his second and third appearances in the last two days — as the Huskies (37-20) are just one win away from returning to the NCAA Regional round.
Game 1 – Northeastern 5, Hofstra 4 (CAA Tournament Game #9)
Ryan Griffin earned the win with 5.1 innings of one-hit ball, AJ Aschettino launched a two-run homer in the fifth, and Wertz recorded the final out for his sixth save as Northeastern (36-20) eliminated Hofstra (22-29) and earned the program's first-ever CAA Tournament win over the Pride. The Huskies built a 5-0 lead before Hofstra rallied for three in the sixth on walks and wild pitches, and added one more in the ninth, but the bullpen held firm to survive and advance for a second straight game.
- Northeastern struck first in the bottom of the first when Harrison Feinberg was hit by a pitch and Ryan Gerety singled up the middle to put runners at first and second. Matt Brinker followed with a single to left, scoring Feinberg from second for the 1-0 lead.
- The Huskies added two more in the third — Feinberg drew a walk and Gerety singled to right, moving Feinberg to third. After Brinker walked to load the bases, Aschettino worked a bases-loaded walk to bring in Feinberg, and Musacchia followed with a sacrifice fly to center to score Gerety for the 3-0 lead.
- Aschettino's two-run homer to right field in the fifth — a 384-foot blast, his fifth of the season — scored Brinker from first and extended the lead to 5-0. It was Aschettino's third straight game with an RBI.
- Griffin cruised through five innings on just 55 pitches before running into trouble in the sixth. All three of his runs came in that inning on inherited runners to the bullpen, but Andrew Rogovic was able to get a strikeout and a ground out to hold the 5-3 lead.
- Tom Mahoney took over in the seventh and worked two innings, allowing one hit while keeping the Pride off the board. Hofstra pushed across a run in the ninth on a pinch-hit RBI single, prompting a call to Wertz, who got the final out on a groundball back to the mound, beating the runner to first on the unassisted putout.
- Griffin improved to 7-2 on the season, scattering just one hit while striking out four. Aschettino led the offense with two hits — including the homer and a double — an RBI walk, and a run scored. Gerety reached base three times with three singles.
- The win snaps Hofstra's 4-0 all-time CAA Tournament record against Northeastern, which included wins in the 2022 championship game, a 2024 first-round matchup, and Thursday's opening-round shutout.
Game 2 – Northeastern 7, Campbell 4 (CAA Tournament Game #10)
Cooper Maher delivered the biggest performance of his young career, and the Huskies rode a five-run sixth inning past top-seeded Campbell (41-16), winning by a final score of 7-4, forcing a winner-take-all championship game on Sunday. Making his first career start, the freshman right-hander worked 5.2 innings and earned the win, scattering two hits while navigating traffic all night.
- Maher and Campbell starter Connor Hensley engaged in a scoreless duel through four innings. Maher induced eight ground-ball outs in his first four frames, working around a second-inning walk and a fifth-inning hit batsman that put runners in scoring position but escaping unscathed each time.
- Northeastern broke through in the fifth when Musacchia drew a two-out walk and Will Fosberg launched a 404-foot homer to right-center for a 2-0 lead. It was Fosberg's second home run of the season.
- The Huskies blew the game open with a five-run sixth. Tyler Harmony led off with a double to right and Feinberg walked, chasing the Campbell starter. Brinker reached on a fielder's choice that moved Harmony to third, aided by a throwing error that allowed Feinberg to advance to second. Aschettino then worked a bases-loaded walk to bring in Harmony for the 3-0 lead.
- Criscola singled to the first base side on the next pitch, scoring Feinberg and Brinker to make it 5-0. After Criscola stole second, Musacchia singled up the middle to plate Aschettino and Criscola for a 7-0 advantage. Musacchia then stole second and third, but was unable to make it home.
- Campbell answered with two in the bottom of the sixth. A hit batsman and a walk put runners on, and an RBI single to left cut the lead to 7-1. A bases-loaded hit-by-pitch brought in another run before Joseph Hauser relieved Maher and struck out the final batter to strand the bases loaded.
- Campell launched a two-run homer to deep left in the seventh to cut the lead to 7-4. David McSweeney entered in relief and steadied the ship, working 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit while stranding three baserunners.
- Wertz was summoned with two on and two out in the ninth. He struck out the first batter he faced, then induced a fielder's choice to end the game and send the Huskies to Sunday's championship. It was his sixth save of the season and second of the day.
- Maher (6-1) earned the win in his first career start, allowing two runs on two hits with three walks and four strikeouts across 5.2 innings. He threw 91 pitches and generated eight ground-ball outs against five fly-ball outs.
- Criscola went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a stolen base, while Musacchia added a hit, two RBIs, and three stolen bases. Harmony doubled and scored a run, and Fosberg's homer accounted for two of the Huskies' seven runs.
- The Huskies swiped three bases on the night, with Musacchia stealing two and Criscola adding one. Campbell stranded 11 runners and went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position.
- Northeastern reached the CAA Championship game for the fifth time in six seasons with its win over Hofstra. The Huskies won the title in 2021 and 2025, and were runners-up in 2022 and 2023. This is the third time in five years the Huskies have fought through the elimination bracket to reach the final, and it's the second time in that span that the Huskies have forced the winner-take-all 11th game.
Northeastern will face top-seeded Campbell in the winner-take-all CAA Championship game on Sunday, May 24th at 2 p.m. at Brooks Field. The winner earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The game can be seen on FloCollege.
