WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? Monmouth recorded its seventh straight win over Princeton in non-conference baseball action on Tuesday afternoon, as the Hawks posted a 12-3 victory over their cross-state rivals.
Monmouth's fourth straight win, highlighted by a pair of three-run home runs from Ryan Terry and Rick Niederhaus, improved its overall record to 11-10.
Monmouth jumped on Princeton starting pitcher, Ross Staine, making his first start of the season, as David Jacob led off with a hit-by-pitch and Chris Collazo singled. Terry followed with his second home run of the year, a three-run shot to left, giving the Hawks a 3-0 lead.
The Blue and White went ahead 4-0 on Jamie Rosenkranz's groundout, which allowed Nick Pulsonetti to trot home after he singled, and went first-to-third on Niederhaus' single to right.
Niederhaus went to the opposite field with a three-run home run of his own in the third, which inflated Monmouth's lead to 7-0. After Terry led off the frame with a single through the left side, Pulsonetti followed with a double to right center, prior to Niederhaus' first homer of the year.
Consecutive singles to open the top of the fourth, put runners on the corners with no outs for Princeton, and the Tigers pulled within 7-1 on Jack Murphy's sacrifice fly.
Monmouth pushed across another run in the bottom of the fifth when Rosenkranz crossed home on a passed ball, giving the Hawks an 8-1 lead.
Princeton trimmed the lead to 8-3 in the top of the sixth when Dan DeGeorge connected on a two-run homer to left off Matt Frazier.
Brett Holland pulled a solo shot down the right field line, with two outs in the home half of the seventh, to give the Hawks a 9-3 advantage.
Monmouth posted three scores in the eighth inning, when Tim McEndy delivered a pinch-hit RBI single, the Hawks plated another run on fielding error in Mike Casale's pinch-hit at-bat, and Matt McEndy's pinch-hit run-scoring hit made the score 12-3.
Kyle Breese, making his team-leading sixth start of the year, worked two shutout innings, surrendering no hits and striking out four. Frazier, who tossed four innings, allowed three runs on three hits, with three strikeouts.
Steve Sanguiliano, who entered in the seventh, worked the final three shutout innings for Monmouth, to pick up his first save, allowing two hits, while striking out four batters.
Niederhaus' three hits led the Hawks' 14-hit attack on the afternoon, while Terry, who also scored three times, Pulsonetti and Holland each collected two hits.
Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, April 1, when the Hawks travel to Rider in non-conference action. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.
