BRIDGEPORT, CONN. ? The Monmouth University baseball team improved to 4-0 in Northeast Conference play on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Yard, as the Hawks swept a league doubleheader from Sacred Heart for a second straight day. Ryan Buch's complete game shutout led Monmouth to a 17-0 win in game one, and Andy Meyers' RBI single in the eleventh inning, paired with Justin Esposito's seven-strikeout relief performance paced the Hawks to a 5-4 victory in the nightcap.

In game one, Monmouth scored in every inning, including multiple runs in each of the first five frames, en route to a 17-0 win. Buch struck-out a career-best 14 batters, as the righty earned his third win with a complete game, one-hitter. Buch, who allowed just a single to center in the sixth inning, improved to 3-1 on the season with his first career shutout.

MU pounded out 17 hits in the first game, as the Hawks registered six doubles and a triple, en route to the victory. Game two of the twin bill saw the Hawks rally from a two-run deficit, as Meyers delivered the game-winning single in the eleventh inning.

The doubleheader sweep, which increased the Hawks' win streak to 11 straight games, improves Monmouth's record to 13-8 overall and 4-0 in the NEC. Sacred Heart falls to 2-23 overall.

In the first contest, Kyle Higgins drew a leadoff walk to start the game for the Hawks, and put Monmouth ahead when the shortstop came around on Paul Bottigliero's two-out double to left center. Consecutive wild pitches allowed Bottigliero to score and Nick Niederhaus' single plated Nick Pulsonetti, making the score 3-0.

Bottigliero delivered his second two-out hit in the second inning when he laced a bases loaded single, putting the Hawks in front 5-0.

In the third inning, Brett Holland and Higgins added RBI singles to make the tally 7-0. After Higgins stole second and third base, Ryan Terry reached on an error, allowing Higgins to cross the plate, and Meyers' double to right put Monmouth ahead 9-0.

After Monmouth starter Buch struck out the side in the bottom of the third, the Hawks tacked on three more runs in the fourth frame, highlighted by Chris Collazo's RBI triple and a run-scoring double from Higgins.

Monmouth pushed its advantage to 14-0 in the fifth inning, as Meyers led off with a double. After Pulsonetti singled to put runners at the corners, Niederhaus laced a two-run double down the left field line. Meyers delivered an RBI single in the sixth inning to put the lead at 15-0, and freshman Cal Costanzo collected his first career hit with a pinch hit double down the left field line in the seventh frame, as the Blue and White snared a 16-0 lead. Higgins' RBI ground out accounted for the final 17-0 score.

Higgins went 3-for-5 with three RBI for the Blue and White, while Meyers added three hits and two RBI. Pulsonetti, Niederhaus, Collazo and Bottigliero contributed two hits apiece, while Niederhaus and Bottigliero drove in three runs each.

Sacred Heart broke through first in game two, plating its first run of the series in second inning off Monmouth starter Brett Brach. A leadoff single, which was followed by a double and an RBI groundout, led to the early 1-0 lead for the Pioneers.

Monmouth rallied to take a 2-1 lead in the sixth frame, when Pulsonetti delivered a two-run single, which drove in both Meyers and Bottigliero, before the Hawks stranded the bases loaded.

SHU answered with a three-run bottom of the sixth, as the Pioneers used four hits and a Monmouth error to reclaim a 4-2 lead.

The Hawks knotted the score at 4-4 in the eighth frame when Pulsonetti and Niederhaus led off with back-to-back singles. After both runners were sacrificed into scoring position by Collazo, Holland's ground out pulled Monmouth within a run, and Tim McEndy's pinch hit single to right tied the game.

Despite allowing singles in each of the ninth and tenth innings, Justin Esposito struck out five batters, and was helped by Cal Costanzo gunning down a Pioneer attempting to steal, to preserve the tie.

Meyers' run-scoring, two-out single to right field, which drove in Higgins, put the Hawks in front 5-4, before Esposito worked a perfect eleventh with two strikeouts, to end the game.

Esposito (1-0) worked 3.2 innings, allowing two hits, while striking out a career-best seven batters to earn the win. Brach, in his fourth start of the season, worked 5.1 frames, allowing four runs on six hits, while striking out four. Senior Tim Dexter tossed two scoreless frames for Monmouth, with four strikeouts, as well.

Higgins, Terry, Pulsonetti and Bottigliero each collected two hits in the second game, as Monmouth out-hit the Pioneers 11-9.

In the first three games of the series with Sacred Heart, which Monmouth has swept each of the last two seasons, the Hawks' pitching staff allowed 15 hits, all of which were singles, and no runs.

Monmouth, which has had double-digit win streaks four times in the last four seasons, returns to action on Tuesday, when the Hawks travel to Princeton University for a 3:30 p.m., non-conference game.