WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University baseball team rallied for a 7-6 victory over Rider University in non-conference action on Wednesday afternoon. With the win, Monmouth's fifth victory in its last six games, the Hawks improve to 12-14 overall.
Trailing by a run entering the seventh, junior Ryan Terry connected on his team-leading fifth homer of the season to tie the score at 6-6, and senior catcher Bobby Dombrowski put the Hawks ahead for good with an RBI double.
Rider opened the game with three hits, including Mason Heyne's RBI single, and after a walk loaded the bases, John Ralston grounded into a double play, ending the threat.
The Hawks opened with consecutive singles from Josh Boyd and Terry, before Cal Costanzo drove both in with a double to right center, giving Monmouth a 2-1 edge. Monmouth grabbed a 3-1 lead on Dombrowski's single, and then a 4-1 advantage on Jamie Rosenkranz's first-pitch, run-scoring single to left.
Rider cut the lead to 4-2 in the second, notching an unearned run on a fielder's choice groundout, when Brandon Cotton beat out an inning-ending double play.
The Broncs tied the score at 4-4 in the top of the third behind Heyne's solo shot to left off of Monmouth starter Jonathan Shippee, and Ryan Murphy's RBI single.
Rider claimed a 6-4 edge off reliever Matt Goitz in the top of the fourth inning, when A.J. Albee delivered a two-run single to right.
Rosenkranz connected on his second first-pitch hit of the game to lead off the Monmouth fourth, as the sophomore recorded his fourth homer of the year to left centerfield, pulling the Hawks within 6-5.
Reliever Neil Harm pitched around a pair of at-bats with a pair of runners in scoring position in the top of the sixth to keep the Hawks within one run.
Terry drew Monmouth even at 6-6 in the home half of the seventh when the second baseman drilled a solo shot to left off Rider reliever Sean Kuberiet. Monmouth then reclaimed the lead, four batters later, when Dombrowski's RBI double off the wall in left drove in Mike Casale, pushing the Hawks in front 7-6.
Shippee, in his first start of the season, worked 3.0 innings for Monmouth, allowing two earned runs on five hits, with three walks. Goitz surrendered a pair of runs in an inning of work, on two hits.
Joe Loiodice worked a scoreless fifth for the Hawks, while Harm picked up the win, improving his record to 3-0 on the campaign, behind 2.0 shutout frames. Nick McNamara worked a scoreless eighth and Dan Smith notched his second save of the year, working a scoreless ninth.
Monmouth, which collected 13 hits in the contest, got three hits from Casale, and two apiece from Terry, Dombrowski and Rosenkranz.
Monmouth returns to action on Friday, April 16, when the Hawks open a four-game Northeast Conference series at defending regular season champion Wagner. First pitch of game one of the series is set for 3:00 p.m., at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Staten Island.
