WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University softball team swept a Northeast Conference doubleheader from Long Island University, winning 6-4 and 4-1, on Saturday afternoon at the MU Softball Park. The Hawks and Blackbirds both came into the afternoon undefeated in league play and tied for first-place, which MU is now in sole possession of after taking both games. Saturday's twinbill sweep marks the first time since 1999 that MU has won both regular season meetings with the Brooklyn school.
Monmouth, which improves to 14-9 overall and 7-0 in the league, has now prevailed in nine consecutive games, its longest winning streak since 2005. The Hawks are also off to their best start in league play since 2001, when they won the first nine games of their NEC ledger en route to an 18-4 conference record.
"LIU is a very good team, these were two fun games today," said Monmouth head coach Louie Berndt. "The competition was there today and we executed when we needed to. These were two great team victories, but it was fun. The kids did what they needed to do to get the first win and then to get the second one. Our pitchers came through and did a great job. Overall, it's a great day."
MU came back from an early 3-0 deficit to capture the first game behind a two-out, two-run double from junior Dara Palms (Humble, Tex. /Humble) in the bottom of the fifth inning to put the Hawks up, 5-3. In the second game, LIU, which fell to 18-14 overall and 6-2in the league with the loss, took an 1-0 lead in the second before the Hawks scored two runs apiece in the fourth and fifth frames to claim the sweep.
In the afternoon's first contest, the Blackbirds took an early three run lead behind home runs from Mariesha Marker and Bianca Mejia. The Hawks added one run in the third on a RBI groundout from freshman Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa. /Saint Basil Academy), which plated sophomore Chelsea Paprocki (Manassas, Va. /Forest Park).
The Hawks drew to within a single run at 3-2 in the bottom of the fourth when Palms singled in senior Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J. /Sayreville War Memorial), who led off the frame with a single. Freshman Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa. /Kiski Area) tied the game at 3-3 one inning later when her double down the right field line plated classmate Christine Scherr (Nazareth, Pa. /Nazareth Area), who singled. Three batters later, Nicola and Weiser came around to score on Palms' double, which would prove to be the game-winning hit.
MU received an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning when Derer reached with a one-out single, advanced to second and third on the same wild pitch, and then came around to score when LIU catcher Marker's throw sailed into the outfield.
Monmouth starter Melissa Mehrer (Florence, N.J. /Florence Township) settled down after allowing the three early runs to pick up her seventh straight win in the circle with a complete-game, six-hitter. The junior, who picked up her team-best ninth complete game of the season, improved to 8-5 on the season, allowing three runs while striking out and walking three batters each.
Palms went 3-for-3 in the first game with three RBI's to lead the Hawks' offense.
In the second game, MU starter Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio /Canfield) surrendered a solo home run to LIU's Amanda MacIntosh in the top of the second, but that was all the sophomore would allow in the contest as she won her fourth straight start. She notched her sixth complete game, allowing five hits and just the one run. She struck out five batters, against only one walk, to improve to 6-2.
Derer got the Monmouth scoring started in the second game when she hit a two-out triple that plated freshman Kate Kuzma (Freehold, N.J. /Colts Neck), who had walked. Derer then came around to score from third on a wild pitch. MU received its final two runs in the game when senior Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J. /James Caldwell) laced a two-RBI single off the glove of a diving Sterling Hoham at third base, scoring Scherr and Weiser, who each singled.
Scherr went 2-for-3 the Blue and White in the second game, while sophomore Colleen Kelly (Tallmadge, Ohio /Tallmadge) added a pinch-hit single.
Monmouth returns to action on Sunday when it hosts Wagner at 12:00 pm in a NEC doubleheader.
