WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.- The Monmouth University baseball team split a Northeast Conference doubleheader with Wagner on Saturday as each team won 3-0 with the Seahawks winning the first game and MU taking the second contest. MU improves to 32-20-1 and 16-9 in the NEC, while Wagner drops to 16-33 and 10-16 in the league.
In the second game, junior hurler Brad Brach (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Twp) earned his 20th career win, tying Mike Benfield (1998-2001) for first place in Monmouth's record book for career victories.
The Hawks dropped the first game of the day 3-0, with Wagner scoring two of its three runs in the first inning. Damian Csakai scored first on a throwing error after reaching third on a Joey DiGeronimo single. DiGeronimo moved over to third on the same error then was brought in by a Matt Mastrianni single. Monmouth pitcher Ryan Buch (Yardley, Pa./Conwell Egan Catholic) got out of the inning two batters later, with a strikeout which was followed up by Seahawk Ed Sudol hitting into a 6-3 double play.
The Monmouth bats had a hard time getting on track as it took until the fifth inning for the Hawks to get one of their two hits. Rick Niederhaus (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) singled to rightfield but the Hawks were unable to get a run out of the inning. Wagner added a run in the fourth to secure the 3-0 win, with winning pitcher Joe Testa (4-6) striking out 12 while giving up just a pair of hits in the game. Buch pitched all seven innings, striking out nine batters while giving up two earned runs on seven hits.
The second game went much better for Monmouth, whose defenders put on a clinic of diving catches and highlight plays in the first half of the game. In the first inning outfielder Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) was hit by a pitch, then stole second to add to his league-leading 38 swiped bases. Andy Meyers (Stratford, N.J./Sterling) doubled to right, trailing 0-2 in the count, to drive Messineo in for the first lead of the game. Niederhaus then sent Myers in on an infield single and the Hawks led 2-0 at the end of one frame.
After two innings of scoreless baseball, including Wagner's Andrew Hubener striking out the side in the third, the Blue & White solidified their lead in the fourth inning with a pair of hits and a run. Teters started things off with a one-out single up the middle, sending Myers to third after the MU power hitter was walked. Sophomore Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) ripped a 3-2 pitch up the right middle, scoring Myers and sending Teters over to third. The Hawks loaded the bases after Mike Casale (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) was hit by a pitch but Wagner relief pitcher Buddy Cipoletti got the visitors out of the inning with just the single run scored. Monmouth's defense began the inning by catching two Seahawks stealing while Brach finished off the Wagner batters with a strikeout.
Brach finished with the win, his eighth of the year (8-2), giving up two hits in the complete-game shutout with nine strikeouts. Huebner was saddled with the loss for Wagner, pitching 3.1 innings giving up four hits, three earned runs and five punchouts. Myers was 1-2, with two runs scored and a RBI with Niederhaus finishing with a hit and a RBI.
The Hawks will play Wagner again tomorrow in a doubleheader, with Friday's rained-out game following the first game, which is scheduled for nine innings, as the action starts at 12 p.m.
