NEWARK, N.J. ? Home runs from Nick Pulsonetti and Ryan Terry, and seven scoreless innings from starter Nick Vallillo, highlighted Monmouth's 9-0 win at NJIT, on Saturday afternoon at Riverfront Stadium.
Vallillo, who retired the first 11 batters, worked seven frames, allowing just a pair of singles, to earn the win and improve to 3-0 on the year.
Monmouth, which recorded double-digit hits for the twelfth time this season, collected 12 hits, including eight for extra bases, as the Hawks improve to 9-10 overall.
In posting their second straight shutout, the Hawks were paced offensively by Chris Collazo, Pulsonetti and freshman Jamie Rosenkranz, who each collected two hits, as Rosenkranz's pair was a double and a triple.
Monmouth snared a lead in the first inning, as Nick Pulsonetti's two-run home run highlighted a three-run frame. Brett Holland led off the contest with a walk, and after a Collazo single, both runners moved up on steals. Terry's groundout put Monmouth ahead 1-0, which was followed by Pulsonetti's shot to left, his second of the year.
The Hawks went ahead 4-0 in the third inning, as Terry reached on an error and eventually touched home on a Paul Bottigliero sacrifice fly.
With Holland on the base paths after a one-out single in the fourth inning, Terry yanked a two-run homer to left, his first of the season, to push the Monmouth edge to 6-0.
Josh Boyd led off the sixth inning with a triple and after Holland joined him on the base paths with a hit-by-pitch and a steal of second, Collazo laced a two-run double to left center to push the Hawks' advantage to 8-0.
Monmouth tacked on a run in the top of the seventh when Rosenkranz delivered a two-out triple, and trotted home on Cal Costanzo's double to center.
Matt Frazier and Tim Ballard combined to toss the final two scoreless frames for Monmouth, as each worked a shutout inning. Frazier, who worked the eighth, surrendered no hits with one strikeout, while Ballard allowed a lone single in the ninth.
Monmouth, which also collected six stolen bases, saw Terry drive in three runs, while Holland scored on three occasions.
Monmouth returns to action on Sunday, when the Hawks host the Highlanders in the final game of the series at 1 p.m. Senior Nick Meyers is slated to take the mound for the Hawks.
