WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. ? Monmouth senior Mike Casale collected a career-high four hits, including a pair of home runs, to go along with a career-best eight RBI, to help pace the Hawks to a 15-6 victory over Wagner in Northeast Conference action on Sunday.
The victory improves Monmouth's overall record to 19-16 and 8-4 in the league, and marked the eighth time this season the Hawks recorded double-digits on the scoreboard.
Casale's four hits and eight RBI paced the Hawks' offense, which collected 15 total hits. Jamie Rosenkranz and Bobby Dombrowski each added three hits for Monmouth, while Chris Collazo chipped in two singles. In the game, Monmouth's 5-through-8 hitters (Collazo, Rosenkranz, Casale and Dombrowski) combined to go 12-for-17, with 11 RBI and 12 runs scored.
Casale's first home run of the season, a three-run shot to left center, pushed Monmouth in front 3-0 in the bottom of the second. Consecutive one-out walks to Collazo and Rosenkranz put a pair of runners on base for the Hawks, leading up to Casale's 2-2 swing.
Damian Csakai's two-run single just inside the third base bag, in the top of the third frame, pulled the Seahawks within 3-2, and after a wild pitch, Jared Gruccio followed with an RBI single to left, knotting the game.
Five Monmouth singles in the home half of the third inning, including RBI hits from Rosenkranz and Casale, and a two-run knock by Dombrowksi, reclaimed the lead for the Hawks, as Monmouth took a 7-3 advantage.
Monmouth tacked on an unearned run in the bottom of the fifth, as two Wagner errors, including a throwing error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, allowed Collazo to score, giving the Blue and White an 8-3 edge.
A walk and consecutive singles loaded the bases with no outs for the visitors in the top of the sixth against Monmouth starter Brett Brach. With the bags packed, Brach struck out Chris Drechsel, but a passed ball in the next at-bat, allowed Vin Avella to slide in under a tag at the plate, making the score 8-4. The Seahawks' John Lucas followed with a two-run single through the right side on a 2-2 pitch, trimming the lead to 8-6.
With runners on first and second, Nick McNamara entered and induced a groundout, and after a walk loaded the bases once again, the lefty struck out Jared Gruccio looking to end the threat and maintain a two-run lead.
Monmouth responded with four runs in the bottom of the sixth, when Paul Bottigliero laced a two-run shot to left field, his fourth homer of the series, to push the Hawks ahead 10-6. After consecutive singles by Collazo and Rosenkranz, Casale drilled a two-run double to right center, pushing the lead to 12-6, and Casale later scored on Josh Boyd's fielder's choice groundout, giving MU a 13-6 lead.
Casale's second two-run homer, a shot to left center in the bottom of the eighth, increased the Monmouth edge to 15-6.
Nick Meyers, who worked scoreless frames in the seventh, eighth and ninth for Monmouth, struck out four batters, en route to the save.
Ian Karlsson, making his first start of the season, worked three innings for Wagner, allowing seven runs on seven hits.
Brach, who earned the win improving his record to 5-0, worked 5.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits, with six strikeouts.
Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, when the Hawks host Seton Hall in non-conference action. First pitch is set for 3:30 p.m.
