LYNCHBURG, VA. ? Monmouth University freshmen pitchers Ryan Buch (Yardley, Pa./Conwell Egan), Brett Brach (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township) and Matt Frazier (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) pitched 19 2/3 innings out of 20 frames in a Saturday doubleheader sweep at Liberty. The Hawks won game one 5-2, while John Dennis (Union, N.J./Union) and Kyle Higgins (Green Brook, N.J./Watchung Hills) combined hits in the 11th inning to lead MU to a 3-2 win in the nightcap. Monmouth improves to 11-7-1 on the season, while the Flames fall to 17-12.

In game one, Buch improved to 4-0 on the season, by working 8.2 innings, while allowing just two runs on four hits, while striking out three. Senior Justin Esposito (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown North) collected the final out of the game to pick up his second save.

An RBI groundout by Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) in the second inning gave the Hawks a 1-0 edge. The Blue and White added four scores in the top of the fourth to grab a 5-0 lead, as Justin Braun (Stony Brook, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) delivered a run-scoring single and Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) laced a three-run triple.

A two-run home run by Errol Hollinger in the fifth trimmed the MU lead to 5-2, before Esposito got Hollinger to pop out with the bases loaded to end the game.

In the second game, Dennis led off with a double down the rightfield line and crossed the plate with the eventual game-winning run in the top of the 11th inning on Higgins' single to left centerfield.

The Hawks tacked on two runs in the first inning, as Higgins delivered a one-out double and Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) drew a walk. With two runners on, Shawn Teters (Springdale, Ark./Springdale) connected on a single, driving in two runs.

Trailing 2-1, after scoring an unearned run in the bottom of the first, the Flames knotted the score in the bottom of the ninth.

Brach worked 6.0 innings, scattering three hits, while allowing one unearned run and recording three strikeouts. Frazier worked the final 5.0 innings, earning the win, to improve to 2-0 on the year. Frazier surrendered one run on four hits.

Brett Holland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) and Dennis each collected three hits in the second game to pace the Hawks, who had 13 hits in the contest.

Monmouth returns to action on Sunday, April 1, when the Hawks take on Liberty in the final game of the series, at noon.