HAMDEN, CONN. ? The Monmouth University baseball team's ninth inning rally fell short, as the Hawks dropped a 9-8 decision at Quinnipiac in game one of the four-game Northeast Conference series, on Friday afternoon. The loss drops the Hawks' conference mark to 10-6, while the Bobcats improve to 12-5.
The Hawks posted two runs without a hit in the first, as Kyle Higgins (Green Brook, N.J./Watchung Hills) and Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove) drew walks to start the game, and each crossed the plate.
In the second, the Bobcats laced five hits, including two doubles to snare a five run inning and a 5-2 lead, off Monmouth starter Brad Brach (Freehold, N.J./Freehold Township). The Hawks answered with a solo run in the third when Messineo was hit by a pitch and came around on a Rick Niederhaus (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Hunterdon Central) single to centerfield.
QU went ahead 6-3 in the bottom of the third when Pete Kummerfeldt led off with a home run to right, the senior's eighth of the spring.
Monmouth knotted the score in the sixth inning, plating three runs to pull even at 6-6. Chris Collazo (Wall, N.J./Wall) and Mike Casale (Toms River, N.J./Toms River North) led off the frame with singles and crossed home on Justin Braun's (Stony Brook, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) double to left center. John Dennis (Union, N.J./Union) drove in Braun with a single of his own to tie the score.
The Bobcats responded with another solo home run off Brach in the bottom of the sixth, to regain the edge, 7-6, as Wilson Matos led off the inning with a solo shot to right. QU went ahead 9-6 in the eighth inning, plating two scores off reliever Matt Frazier (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park).
The Hawks rallied in the ninth, as Monmouth loaded the bases with no outs. With the bases packed, Collazo and Casale each drove in runs with groundouts, but with the tying run on third, Braun fell victim to Tyler Brett, who registered his first save.
Andy Mayer (6-2) earned the win for the Bobcats, working 8.0 innings, while allowing seven runs on eight hits. The sophomore struck out eight, while walking three, in the win.
Brach fell to 6-2 on the year, after surrendering seven runs on 10 hits, over six frames. Justin Esposito (Red Bank, N.J./Middletown North) recorded the final two outs for the Hawks.
Messineo scored three runs for the Hawks, while Niederhaus and Collazo paced the offense with two hits apiece.
Monmouth (26-15-1) and Quinnipiac return to action on Saturday, in a Northeast Conference doubleheader at noon.
