Hempstead, NY - Northeastern scored four runs in the top of the ninth off Pride closer Bryan Verbitsky to erase a two-run deficit and post a 7-5 win over Hofstra in the opener of a Colonial Athletic Association series Friday afternoon.

Hofstra saw its six-game win streak snapped with the loss and slipped to 26-18, 14-8 in the CAA. Northeastern snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 18-23, 8-14 in the CAA.

Called on to get a five-out save, Verbitsky needed just three pitches to get two outs in the eighth inning. But the ninth was a different story as he surrendered a leadoff home run to catcher Jon Leroux to make it 5-4. After getting the first out of the inning, Verbitsky walked Jason Roth and hit Tucker Roeder. Leadoff batter Aaron Barbosa then tied the game with a single that scored Roth. John Puttress put the Huskies ahead, 6-5 with a single through the left side. Brett Schreiber came on to relieve Verbitsky and gave up a double to Matt Miller that drove in the seventh Northeastern run before retiring the final two batters of the inning.

The Pride had shut down the Huskies for seven innings after allowing three runs in the first. A walk to Barbosa and three consecutive singles resulted in the first run, which was driven in by Rob Fonseca. Jason Vosler had an RBI fielder's choice and Leroux knocked in a run on a bad-hop single to second base to make it 3-0.

Hofstra tallied one run in its half of the first as Danny Poma doubled, his NCAA-leading 28th of the year, and came in on Matt Ford's RBI single. The Pride would then tie the score in the third as Austin Nyman led off with a double and stole third. Two batters later, Poma knocked him in with a ground out. Ford followed with his first home run of the season to make it a 3-3 game.

The Pride would go ahead in the fourth as Kenny Jackson led off with a homer down the right field line and Nyman had an RBI double to the wall in center that scored T.J. Thomas, who had walked, all the way from first.

Hofstra starter Joe Burg settled down after his rough first inning, going six innings and allowing six hits (four in the first) and three runs with four strikeouts. Andrew Barbarino had an inning and a third of one-hit relief. Verbitsky (0-3) took the loss after allowing four runs on three hits in an inning of work.The blown save was Verbitsky's first of the season.

Andrew Leenhouts (5-3) picked up the win for Northeastern, allowing five runs on eight hits with seven strikeouts over eight innings. Leenhouts also settled down after the fourth, allowing just one hit over his final four innings. Dylan Maki pitched a scoreless ninth for his third save. Northeastern outhit the Pride, 11-9, and had two hits apiece from Barbosa, Puttress, Miller and Leroux.

Hofstra got a three-hit day from Nyman, while Ford added two hits. Poma's double gave him 82 hits on the season, tying Matt Prokopowicz for first place on the Pride's single season hit list.

The two teams will meet again Saturday afternoon at 2 p.m. in game two of the series. John Tiedemann will start for Hofstra against Northeaster's Nick Berger.