WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? Monmouth baseball posted an 18-3 victory over Quinnipiac in Northeast Conference action, on Friday afternoon. Monmouth, which connected on 22 hits en route to the league win, improved its record to 8-1 in NEC play. Overall, the Hawks improve to 20-9, as the Blue and White have won 18 out of its last 19 games.
Monmouth second baseman Chris Collazo led the Hawks' charge, as the junior went 5-for-5 at the plate, with a triple, three RBI and three runs scored. Senior Shawn Teters and junior Brett Holland each added three hits for Monmouth, as head coach Dean Ehehalt won his 400th career game.
Quinnipiac shortstop Bryn Doyle started the scoring in the first inning when he connected on a one-out, first-pitch solo home run to center, off Monmouth starter Brad Brach.
Monmouth took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the first when the Hawks plated three, two-out runs off QU starter Chris Gloor, who threw 42 pitches in the opening inning. Teters laced a one-out single and advanced to second when Andy Meyers walked. With two down, Nick Pulsonetti singled to centerfield to plate Teters, and Chris Collazo followed with a two-run single up the middle to give the Hawks a two-run advantage.
Quinnipiac (8-21, 3-6 NEC) pulled within 3-2 in the second inning when Michael Marmo connected on a one-out homer to left.
Teters and Kyle Higgins both reached with two outs in the second inning, and scored on Meyers' two-run double down the right field line, giving Monmouth a 5-2 lead.
Pulsonetti's team-leading seventh homer of the year, a solo shot to left center, put the Hawks in front 6-2 in the third.
The Hawks went ahead 7-2 in the bottom of the fifth frame, as Collazo led off with a single through the left side. After Ryan Terry's successful sac bunt moved Collazo into scoring position, Holland delivered an RBI single up the middle for Monmouth.
Monmouth added four runs in the sixth frame, as Collazo added a run-scoring single, Terry delivered an RBI double down the left field line, and Holland's bloop single to left, plated two more, giving the Hawks an 11-2 advantage.
The Blue and White netted a run in the bottom of the seventh when Higgins led off with a double, and after a groundout, scored on a balk, putting MU in front 12-2.
Tim McEndy's pinch hit triple, which plated Collazo, who also tripled, and Terry, put Monmouth ahead 14-2 in the eighth. Higgins then followed with a single to left field to score McEndy, and give the Hawks a 15-2 edge. Rick Niederhaus' triple, Monmouth's third triple of the inning, put the Hawks in front 17-2, and Matt McEndy's sac fly made the score 18-2.
A sacrifice fly from Jeff Carino pulled the Bobcats within 18-3 in the top of the ninth off reliever Steve Sanguiliano, and Michael Marmo's two-run homer to left made the score 18-5.
Brach, who allowed no runs after the second inning, worked eight frames to earn the win for Monmouth, improving his record to 4-1 on the season. Brach allowed two runs on eight hits, while striking out four.
Higgins, Niederhaus, Pulsonetti and Terry each added two hits apiece for the Hawks.
Monmouth returns to action tomorrow with a Northeast Conference doubleheader against Quinnipiac, which is set to start at noon.
