Robbie O’Connor delivered a strong start on May 30 as the Northeastern Huskies defeated Missouri State 5-1 in an NCAA Lawrence Regional elimination game at Hoglund Ballpark. The win advances Northeastern (39-21) to the next round, while Missouri State ends its season at 34-21.
O’Connor improved his record to 10-2, pitching seven innings of one-run baseball on 91 pitches. He allowed six hits, struck out three batters, and did not issue a walk. The Huskies collected ten hits during the game, including five doubles and a home run. Andrew Rogovic pitched a scoreless eighth inning with two strikeouts, and Andrew Wertz closed out the ninth after working around a single.
Northeastern scored first in the opening inning when Tyler Harmony walked and Harrison Feinberg singled before Matt Brinker doubled to bring Harmony home for a 1-0 lead. In the sixth inning, Aschettino led off with a double followed by an RBI double from Charlie Criscola. Carmelo Musacchia then hit a two-run homer—his fifth of the season—to extend Northeastern’s lead to 4-0.
Missouri State broke up the shutout in the seventh with two doubles but could only cut the deficit to three runs. Musacchia tripled in the eighth for his second extra-base hit of the day. In the ninth inning, Harmony reached base on an error and Feinberg drove him in with his third hit of the day—a double—making it 5-1.
The victory marks Northeastern’s second NCAA Tournament win in as many years and is their eighth tournament victory overall. It is also their first tournament win as a lower seed since seeding began in 1988.
Northeastern will play again Sunday against either Kansas or Arkansas at Hoglund Ballpark.
