SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – The University of the Incarnate Word baseball team opened the season with a well-pitched 3-1 loss to Northeastern University on Friday night, at Sullivan Field.

The Huskies (1-0) got on the board first on a Joey Scambia single through the right side bringing in Cam Hanley in the fourth inning. Hanley led off the inning with a walk before advancing to third on a ground out and a single.  Pat Madigan then doubled the Huskies' lead with a solo homerun to lead off the sixth inning.

The Cardinals' lone run came in the bottom of the seventh inning off the bat of catcher Colton Bessett (Cedar Park/Vista Ridge HS). Bessett drove a long fly ball to left field for his first home run of the season.  The Cardinals only managed five hits off the Northeastern pitching staff.

Nick Berger hurled seven innings of one run baseball for the visitors walking one Cardinal and striking out nine.  He earned the first win of the season for the Huskies.

"We just couldn't put together any hits," UIW head coach Danny Heap said.  "We had a couple of baserunners, had chances, but we never got more than one hit back-to-back."

In the bottom of the eighth, the Cardinals could have threatened relief pitcher Mike Fitzgerald after Blake Woosley (Corvalis/Philomath HS) got on base on an error to lead off the inning. Mark Whitehead (San Antonio.Johnson HS) started his at bat with a 3-0 count, but would eventually look at a called third strike with Woosley on the move for a strike-him-out-throw-him-out double play. The next batter, Matt Morris (Scottsdale, AZ/Saguaro HS), got hit on the first pitch, which could have meant bases loaded with no outs if Whitehead had walked, but instead the Cardinals were unable to rally.

The Huskies brought in Aaron Civale to close out the game in the ninth inning. Civale gave up a one-out double to Ethan McGill (Penn Valley, CA/Nevada Union HS), but then got Bessett and Brance Kahle (Colleyville/Grapevine Faith HS) to fly out to end the game.  Civale was credited with a save.

Cody Richey (Comfort/Comfort HS) pitched a great game for the Cardinals (0-1) giving up two earned runs in  7.0 innings, while striking out six and walking two in the losing effort.   "He did a good job," Heap said. "It's the first game of the series. You don't want to throw your whole staff. He did exactly what he was supposed to do.  We just didn't swing the bat very well."

The Cardinals will look to get the bats going in the second game of this three-game series against the Huskies on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at Sullivan Field. The series finale is Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
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