WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? The Monmouth University softball team swept their second consecutive doubleheader, defeating in-state rival Rider 7-2 and 8-1 on Sunday. The Hawks, winners of four straight, improve to 10-15-1, while Rider falls to 7-14 on the season.
Junior Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa./Wilson) ran her personal winning streak to five straight games with a complete-game, four-hit performance in the circle in the first game, a 7-2 Monmouth win. She surrendered two runs, one of which was earned and struck out four batters to even her record on the season at 6-6.
The Monmouth offense was jumpstarted in the first game when Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) singled to lead off the third inning. She stole second, and came around to score on Emily deLong's (Rothschild, Wisc./DC Everest) triple to put MU in front 1-0. Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Our Lady of Lourdes) chased deLong home with an RBI ground out one batter later and the Hawks led 2-0 after three innings.
After Rider struck for one run in the top of the fifth on a Katy Mills home run, the Hawks answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame, all coming with two outs. Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) singled to lead off the inning and came around to score on Candice Palumbo's (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) RBI single. Gina Mignoga (Mt. Laurel, N.J./Lenape Regional) drove home Alyson Slattery (Staten Island, N.Y./St/ John Villa Academy), who singled, with a single to centerfield one batter later. The big blow came one batter later, after an Alvarez walk, with the bases loaded when deLong brought everyone in with a double to stretch the lead to 7-1.
deLong led the MU offense in the first game, going 2-for-4 with four runs driven in and Palumbo was a perfect 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Hawks.
In the second contest, freshman pitcher Dara Palms (Humble, Tex./Humble) got her first win in a Monmouth uniform, working five innings and only giving up four hits and one unearned run. She was relieved by fellow newcomer Abby Martin (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego), who worked two scoreless innings of relief.
After Rider struck first in the top of the first to take a 1-0 lead, the Hawks scored a pair of runs in the third inning. Nora Bosmans (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) led off the inning by reaching on an error, and she scored as Alvarez, the very next batter, blasted a two-run home run over the left field fence to put the Hawks by a run. MU scored three more runs in the fourth when Alvarez tripled home Jessellyn Jackson (Howell, N.J./Colts Neck) and Bosmans, and came around to score herself when Rider's shortstop, Katy Mills, overthrew the third basemen, on the same play.
The Hawks scored three more runs in the sixth frame, two on a double by Palumbo and another on a double by Bosmans.
Alvarez went 2-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored in the second game, while Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa./Nazareth Academy) went 2-for-3 with a run scored.
Monmouth returns to action on Tuesday, April 8 when they host Manhattan for a 3:00 p.m. doubleheader.
