WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? Vermont senior pitcher Bryan Rembisz worked 8.0 innings, with 13 strikeouts, to earn the win as the Catamounts held off a ninth inning Monmouth rally to pull out a 6-5 victory in collegiate baseball action on Sunday afternoon. The win improves Vermont to 5-8, while the Hawks fall to 8-7-1. Monmouth, which started three freshmen pitchers in the series, won two-of-three over the weekend.
Vermont held a 5-1 lead after a four-run fifth inning off Monmouth starting pitcher Brett Brach (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township). Ethan Paquette, Kyle Massie and Jeff Nolet delivered run-scoring hits for the Catamounts in the frame.
After a Rembisz sacrifice fly made the score 6-1 in the top of the sixth, Mike Casale's (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) RBI single to center in the home half, which plated Rick Niederhaus (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) trimmed the lead to 6-2.
The Hawks rallied for three runs in the bottom of the ninth, as Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) delivered a two-run single to leftfield, before John Elia (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) connected on a pinch-hit, first-pitch double to score Meyers off Nate Matusick. With the tying run in scoring position, reliever John Boyle got Niederhaus to strike out to end the game.
Rembisz worked 8.0 innings, scattering nine hits, while surrendering two runs, with 13 strikeouts to earn the win for Vermont. Boyle picked up the save, his first of the year.
Brach was saddled with the loss after surrendering five runs on seven hits over 5.0 frames, while striking out six. Freshman Nick Vallillo (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) worked 2.2 innings, allowing one run on one hit, while senior Matt Marc-Aurele (Wayne, N.J./Wayne Valley) struck out the lone batter he faced to end the eighth.
Senior Matt Coulson (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Boro) worked a scoreless ninth for the Hawks, allowing one hit.
Meyers collected two hits, while driving in two and scoring twice, while Niederhaus, Casale, Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) and catcher John Dennis (Union, N.J./Union) each delivered two hits as well.
Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, March 28, when the Hawks host Iona at 3 p.m.
