STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. ? The Monmouth University softball team dropped a pair of Northeast Conference games to Wagner Sunday afternoon, 6-5 in 10 innings and 8-0. The Hawks are now 23-14 and 9-5 in NEC play, while Wagner improves to 18-15 and 8-3 in the league.

In the first game MU took a 5-4 lead over the Seahawks in the top of the tenth inning when freshman Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville) drove in Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape), but the Hawks were unable to keep the lead, giving up two runs in the bottom of the frame.

Monmouth got the scoring started when Nicola drove in Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) in the top of the first inning and got on the board again in the top of the fourth when Heather Gordon (Hatboro, Pa./Mount St. Joseph's) hit a solo home run to give MU a 2-0 lead. Wagner struck for one in the bottom of the sixth and MU answered when Nicola scored on a Kara O'Dell (Henderson, Nev. /Green Valley) sacrifice fly.

The Seahawks got three in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at four before sending the contest into extra innings.

Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) started the game and gave up four earned runs in 6.1 innings pitched before giving way to Angela Rand (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert), who pitched the final three innings of relief and collected the loss, falling to 4-3 on the season.

Nicola went 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored, while Simonetti also went 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Gordon had three hits, including the home run, and Dawn Gilchrist (Newfoundland, N.J./Jefferson) added two hits.

In the second game, the Monmouth bats couldn't get anything going against Wagner's Kate Eshelman as the freshman threw a complete game two-hitter and didn't walk a batter.

Monmouth returns to action this Thursday, April 26 when they travel to Rider for a 3 p.m. nonconference doubleheader with the Broncs.  

Pictured: Freshman Jessica Nicola