LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. ? Monmouth's four-game win streak ended on Wednesday afternoon with a 9-5 defeat at Rider, in eight innings. With the loss, Monmouth's record evens at 11-11, while Nick Pulsonetti led the Hawks' offense with three RBI and a two-run home run.
Pulsonetti got the Hawks on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning, as the sophomore connected on his fourth home run of the season, a two-out, two-run blast to left field, giving the Blue and White a 2-0 lead.
The Broncs answered with a pair of runs to tie the score in the bottom of the first. Consecutive singles, followed by a walk, loaded the bases with no outs, before Mason Heyne delivered an RBI single and Steve Galella's groundout produced the second score. Monmouth escaped further damage with an inning-ending double play.
Back-to-back doubles by Paul Bottigliero and Jamie Rosenkranz to open the second, reclaimed a one-run edge for the Hawks, 3-2.
Rider, which opened the bottom of the second with three straight hits, knotted the score at 3-3, against Monmouth starter Andy McDonnell, before Tim Ballard came in and collected a strikeout and another inning-ending double play.
The Hawks got the run back in the top of the third when Chris Collazo started off with a double to left center, advanced to third on a wild pitch and crossed home on a Pulsonetti groundout, staking Monmouth to a 4-3 lead.
Rider responded with three-run frames in both the fourth and sixth innings, elevating the Broncs to a 9-4 advantage.
Monmouth trimmed the lead to 9-5 in the eighth inning when Pulsonetti drew a one-out walk, and rounded on Bottigliero's triple to right center.
Ballard (1-3) suffered the loss for the Hawks, as the senior allowed six runs, three earned, over 4.2 innings, with three strikeouts. Nick McNamara worked the final 1.1 frames, allowing no runs on two hits.
Monmouth returns to action on Friday, when the Hawks open Northeast Conference play with a four-game series with Long Island University. Game one of the set, which will feature junior Kyle Breese (2-2) on the mound for the Hawks, is slated to begin at 3 p.m.
