WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University softball team swept Saint Peter's College in a nonconference doubleheader on Wednesday afternoon, winning 8-0 in five innings and 3-2, at the MU Softball Park. The Hawks improve to 20-13, marking the 13th time in program history that MU has totaled 20 wins in a season, while the Peahens fall to 2-26.
MU starter Melissa Mehrer (Florence, N.J. /Florence Township) won her 11th straight start in the first game, pitching five innings of one-hit, shutout ball. She struck out two batters without surrendering a walk to improve to 12-5 on the season. In the second game, Monmouth needed a pair of runs in the fifth frame to pull out the one-run contest.
The Hawks jumped all over SPC in the first game, scoring once in the first and twice in the second. After a scoreless third, the bats came alive in the fourth and fifth, scoring three and two runs, respectively.
Sophomore Chelsea Paprocki (Manassas, Va. /Forest Park) went 3-for-3 in the first game with two RBI's and a run scored, adding a stolen base. Senior Jessica Nicola (South Amboy, N.J. /Sayreville War Memorial) added two hits, including a RBI double, while junior Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc. /DC Everest) added a two-RBI double in the fourth inning.
In all, nine Hawks logged at least one hit in the first game, including pinch-hit singles from sophomore Colleen Kelly (Tallmadge, Ohio /Tallmadge) and freshman Anniela Vaccaro (Fresh Meadows, N.Y. /Archbishop Molloy). Junior Dara Palms (Humble, Tex. /Humble) scored two runs for the Hawks as well.
In the second contest, Saint Peter's took a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth frame. The Hawks came back to score one in the bottom of the inning when senior Alexa Ferrara (West Caldwell, N.J. /James Caldwell) scored.
MU, which took the lead for good in the fifth with a pair of runs, received a lead-off single from freshman Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa. /Saint Basil Academy) in the frame. The newcomer, who was on base four times in the two games, came around to scored on a wild pitch to tie the game. The Hawks seized the lead when freshman Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa. /Kiski Area) drove home classmate Christine Scherr (Nazareth, Pa. /Nazareth Area), who singled, with a base hit of her own four batters later.
Sophomore Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio /Canfield) got the win in the second game, snapping a personal three-game losing streak. She went the distance, allowing four hits and one earned run. She struck out 10 batters against five walks to improve to 8-6 on the season.
Monmouth returns to action tomorrow when it hosts in-state rival Rutgers at 4:30 in a single game at the MU Softball Park.
Note: Check out Colleen Kelly's insight in the latest entry in the Monmouth Softball Blog here.
