WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University softball team swept the University of Pennsylvania in a nonconference doubleheader, 3-2 in eight innings and 7-2, on Saturday at the MU Softball Park. The Hawks, who snapped their seven-game losing streak with the pair of wins, improve to 3-7 overall, while the Quakers fall to 3-8.
"I thought it was important for us to come out today and play two solid games. The weather and the fans were great," said Monmouth first-year head coach Louie Berndt. "I thought the team did a great job in game one coming from behind and executing when we needed it, that was a big win. And in game two we did a better job of hitting and moving runners."
In the afternoon's first game, the Hawks trailed 2-0 entering the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior centerfielder Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc. /DC Everest) led off the home half of the sixth with a triple to right, and came around to score on senior Jessica Nicola's (South Amboy, N.J. /Sayreville War Memorial) sacrifice fly to left to cut the visitor's lead to one.
MU tied the contest in the bottom of the seventh after freshman Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa. /Kiski Area) led off the frame with a double to right and junior Dara Palms (Humble, Tex. /Humble), who came in to pinch run for Weiser, scored on newcomer Kate Kuzma's (Freehold, N.J. /Colts Neck) single up the middle. After holding Penn scoreless in the top of the eighth, freshman Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa. /Saint Basil Academy) led off the bottom of the frame with walk and came around to score the winning run on an error by the Quakers.
deLong went 2-for-4 in the first game, while Kuzma went 2-for-3 in her first home game as a Hawk. Junior pitcher Melissa Mehrer (Florence, N.J. /Florence Township) earned the win, hurling a complete game four-hitter. She struck out four Quakers, only walking one, to earn her first victory of the season.
In the second contest, the Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead, tacking on one run apiece in the first and second innings. Nicola drove in deLong with another sac fly in the first, while Chelsea Paprocki (Manassas, Va. /Forest Park) drove home Weiser with a single.
After the Quakers struck for a run in the top of the sixth, Monmouth answered with five runs in the bottom of the frame to regain control. Penn would add another in the sixth to complete MU's 7-2 win.
Paprocki went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored in the second game for the Hawks. deLong went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a RBI, while Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J. /James Caldwell) went 2-for-4 with a run scored.
Sophomore Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio /Canfield) earned the win in the second game to improve to 2-1, surrendering only two hits and one unearned in 5.1 innings of work. She struck out five and walked four before giving way to Mehrer, who earned the save, pitching the final 1.2 innings of the contest.
Monmouth returns to action tomorrow when it travels to Philadelphia for a 12:00 pm doubleheader with La Salle.
