WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? The Monmouth University softball team swept a Northeast Conference doubleheader from Mount St. Mary's, winning 10-1 and 5-3, on Saturday afternoon at the MU Softball Complex. The Hawks improve to 8-15-1 and 4-2 in the league while Mount falls to 14-25 and 2-4 in the NEC.
The Hawks won the first contest of the day 10-1 in five innings. After scoring a run in both the first and second innings, Monmouth exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to seal the win. The Blue and White collected seven of their 11 hits in the game in the fifth, and they sent 11 batters to the plate during the frame.
Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) was a spark in the leadoff spot for the Hawks, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a stolen base in the first game. Freshman Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc./DC Everest) led the MU offense in the first game by going 3-for-4 with two runs driven in and a run scored. Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) went 2-for-3 with two RBI's and a run scored, and fellow sophomore Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) scored and drove in a run each in the game.
Freshman Abby Martin (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego) drove in a run and scored one, Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) continued her comeback off an offseason ACL tear with two RBI's and a run scored, and senior Gina Mignogna (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape Regional) went 2-for-3 with a RBI and two runs scored. Junior Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) picked up her fourth straight win in the circle to improve to 5-6 on the season. She pitched all five innings, allowing only four hits and one run, while striking out four and walking two.
In the second game, a 5-3 Monmouth win, freshman Melissa Mehrer (Florence, N.J./Florence Township) hurled a complete game victory, scattering seven hits in seven innings of work. She struck out four and walked one on the afternoon. The Hawks struck for three in the bottom of the first on a Nicola single up the middle that plated deLong. After the ball was thrown back into the infield, Nicola took off for second, forcing an errant throw from Mount's third baseman, Nicole Reeder, which sailed into the outfield. Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes), who also singled up the middle and Nicola came around to score on the play.
After Palumbo scored to put MU up 4-0 in the second inning, Mount struck for two in the top of the third when Allie Vadas, from nearby Spring Lake Heights, laced a two-run base hit. Simonetti responded for the Hawks with a RBI single that scored Alvarez to put the home team up 5-2. With one away in the top of the seventh inning, Mount's Amanda Burk lined a shot into the left centerfield gap where Alvarez made the play of the day as the junior from Brick laid out and made a phenomenal diving catch to rob Burk of extra bases.
Simonetti and Nicola each went 2-for-3 with a run driven in and a run scored in the game while Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa./Nazareth Academy) went a perfect 3-for-3.
The Hawks return to action tomorrow, Sunday, April 6 when they host in-state rival Rider at 1:00 p.m.
