PISCATAWAY, N.J. ? The Monmouth University baseball team was limited to two hits, both by senior Kyle Messineo (Cedar Grove, N.J./Cedar Grove), in an 8-0 loss at Rutgers, on Wednesday afternoon. The loss drops the Hawks' record to 27-18-1 overall, while the Scarlet Knights improve to 31-16.

Rutgers tallied a run in the first inning off Monmouth starting pitcher, f reshman Nick Vallillo (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional), as Todd Frazier led of the game with a double and crossed home on Ryan Hill's single up the middle. Vallillo ended the threat with a strikeout with the bases loaded.

The Scarlet Knights tacked on four runs on four hits in the bottom of the third inning, to grab a 5-0 lead. RU increased the cushion to 8-0 in the fourth, as an error, a single and two doubles resulted in three scores.

Vallillo (0-1) worked 7.0 innings, allowing eight runs, five of them earned, in the loss. The freshman also registered six strikeouts.

Brett Conner (Shelton, Conn./St. Thomas More), who saw his first action since May 22, 2005 due to a shoulder injury, worked one scoreless inning for Monmouth, allowing one hit, a pinch-hit single.

Sophomore Jon McCue (6-0) threw a complete-game, two-hit, shutout for the Scarlet Knights, who collected 11 hits in the contest.

Monmouth returns to action on Thursday, when the Hawks host Sacred Heart University in game one of a four-game NEC series. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.