Weiss Drives In Five As UNCW Beats Northeastern, 8-4, To Reach Sixth Straight CAA Title Game
Rob Washburn
Box Score
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 28, 2021) – UNCW third baseman Cole Weiss went 3-for-4 and drove in five to lead the second-seeded Seahawks to an 8-4 victory over #1 Northeastern on Thursday night in the CAA Baseball Championship at Brooks Field.
The win sent UNCW (32-20) into Saturday’s 5 p.m. CAA championship game for the sixth year in a row. Northeastern (33-10) will meet Charleston in an elimination contest at 1 p.m. on Saturday, with the winner taking on the Seahawks.
Weiss’ second-inning grand slam gave UNCW an early 6-1 advantage and proved to be the difference in the game. Leadoff hitter Brooks Baldwin was 3-for-5 with a run scored for the Seahawks, while Matt Suggs and Taber Mongero were each 2-for-4.
Freshman Ethan Chenault earned his third save for UNCW after retiring the final eight batters of the game, which included escaping a bases loaded jam with one out in the seventh.
For Northeastern, Max Viera and Jared Dupere contributed two hits apiece and Spenser Smith had a pair of RBI’s.
UNCW wasted no time getting its bats going. With one out in the top of the first, Suggs’ double to left-center plated Trevor Marsh, and Weiss lined an RBI single that scored Suggs to put the Seahawks up 2-0.
Northeastern got one back in the bottom of the first as Dupere, the CAA Player of the Year, smashed his league-leading 19
th homer of the season to left.
UNCW continued its offensive output in the second. Mongero and Baldwin tallied back-to-back singles and Suggs was hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. Weiss followed with a grand slam that drifted over the fence in left to make it 6-1.
The Seahawks loaded the bases again with nobody out in the fifth, and tacked on their seventh run of the game on Kip Brandenburg’s sacrifice fly.
The Huskies battled back in the sixth, loading the bases with the aid of two walks and a hit batter. Smith came through with a two-out base hit to right that scored Scott Holzwasser and Ian Fair, but the Seahawks were able to throw out a runner at third, preventing further damage.
UNCW upped its lead to 8-3 in the top of the seventh. Noah Bridges drew a walk, moved to third on Brandenburg’s base hit and scored on a Jac Croom ground out.
Northeastern threatened again in the bottom of the seventh. The Huskies got one-out singles from Viera and Dupere, followed by back-to-back walks to Holzwasser and Danny Crossen that forced in a run. Chenault entered the contest with the bases full and was able to record a strikeout and ground out to stop the rally.