STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. ? The Monmouth University softball team swept Wagner, 4-0 and 8-3 in a Northeast Conference doubleheader on Sunday afternoon. The Hawks improve to 15-9-1 on the season and 5-3 in league play while the Seahawks fall to 12-20 and 1-5 in the conference. This marks the first time that MU has swept Wagner since 2004 and snaps the Seahawks six-game regular season winning streak in the series. Monmouth last defeated WC, 3-0 in a playoff game two seasons ago.
Sophomore Melissa Mehrer (Florence, N.J./Florence Township) won both games for the Hawks in the circle to improve to 9-3 on the season. In the first game she pitched a complete-game, six-hit shutout, striking out four and walking none. In the second contest, she pitched six innings, giving up eight hits and three runs, two of which were earned. She struck out four and only walked one in the second contest. Mehrer gave way to senior Kristine Sawlsville (Wyomissing, Pa. /Wilson), who worked a scoreless seventh inning in the second game, giving up one hit and striking out one.
The Hawks put up one each in the second, third, fourth and seventh innings to claim the game one win. Junior Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J./James Caldwell) led the offense, going 3-for-4 with a run driven in. Senior Jaime Jurewicz (Holland, Pa. /Nazareth Academy) went 1-for-3 with a pair of RBI, while classmate Nichole Alvarez (Brick, N.J./Brick Township) with 1-for-3 with two runs scored and two stolen bases. Sophomore Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc. /DC Everest) went 1-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base and Lee Simonetti (Poughkeepsie, N.Y. /Our Lady of Lourdes) added a run scored.
The Blue and White's offense came alive in the second game as eight different Hawks scored a run and seven starters had at least one hit. MU struck for four runs in the top of the second inning, all with two outs. Jurewicz started the rally off with her first home run of the season, and the fourth of the senior's career. Sophomore Dara Palms (Humble, Tex. /Humble), Simonetti and deLong all scored in the frame as Monmouth built an early 4-0 lead. Wagner came back, scoring one run each in the second and fourth frames before the Hawks added some insurance in the sixth and seventh innings.
Freshman Chelsea Paprocki (Manassas, Va. /Forest Park) got things started in the sixth with a single to left and pinch runner Jessellyn Jackson (Howell, N.J./Colts Neck) came around to score. Senior Candice Palumbo (Hillsborough, N.J./Hillsborough) then singled to left center and was chased home by Simonetti's two-out single to right field. Junior Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J./Sayreville War Memorial) led off the seventh inning with a double to right center and scored on a sacrifice fly from Paprocki two batters later. Alvarez then bunted for a single and scored on a RBI groundout from Palumbo to round out the Monmouth scoring.
Simonetti went 3-for-4 in the second game while deLong added a hit, a run scored and a RBI. Paprocki went 2-for-3 and Jurewicz enjoyed a 2-for-4 second game.
Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, April 8 when they host Manhattan in a nonleague twinbill. First pitch is set for 3:00 pm.
