NEW BRITAIN, CONN. - The Monmouth University baseball team dropped a 20-19 decision at Central Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon. Monmouth, which led 16-1, surrendered the lead, but rallied with three runs in the top of the ninth to nearly complete the comeback.

In a game in which Monmouth registered season-highs in runs scored and hits (22), senior catcher Bobby Dombrowski went 5-for-6, with a career-best seven RBI and four runs scored, while Mike Casale, Jamie Rosenkranz, Danny Avella, Anthony Lawrence and Josh Boyd had three hits each. Lawrence, who started as the designated hitter, added his first career triple and home run in the contest, driving in a career-high five runs of his own. 

With the defeat, the Hawks fall to 7-12 overall and 3-5 in the league, while the Blue Devils improve to 8-8 overall and 4-4 in the Northeast Conference.

Monmouth jumped all over CCSU starter Tommy Meade to start the game, posting five runs on six hits in the opening frame. After Ryan Terry led off with a single, Casale's double plated Terry for an early 1-0 lead. Rosenkranz followed with a single, and after a stolen base put a pair of runners in scoring position, Cal Costanzo's groundout made the score 2-0. Avella's double accounted for Monmouth's third score, and after a Dombrowski single, Lawrence laced a two-run triple - his first career triple - to make the score 5-0.

The Hawks added a seven-run frame in the second to claim a 12-0 lead, as the Hawks' offense collected six hits, including three home runs. Casale started the scoring in the second, delivering a solo shot to left center, his first of the season, and Dombrowski added an RBI single, which drove in Costanzo for a 7-0 advantage. Lawrence continued his career day, drilling a three-run homer to left center, the first round-tripper of his career, inflating the MU advantage to 10-0, before Boyd homered - a two-run dinger to right - driving in Tim McEndy, who drew a walk.

Mitch Wells connected on a solo home run off Monmouth starter Dan Smith with one out in the bottom of the second, to trim the score to 12-1.

Dombrowski's third career grand slam in the top of the third inning, pushed Monmouth in front 16-1, as the senior drove in Rosenkranz, Costanzo and Avella.

CCSU climbed within 16-6 in the third inning behind, notching five runs on four hits, including Meade's three-run home run to centerfield.

CCSU's nine-run sixth inning pulled the Blue Devils within 16-15, as Sean Allaire and Anthony Scialdone delivered run-scoring singles in front of Patt Epps' three-run homer. Meade added a second homer and Kyle Zarotney, and Sean Miller-Jones delivered RBI hits as well.

In the home half of the seventh, the Blue Devils climbed all the way back, tying the game on Mitch Wells' double, plating Epps, and taking an 18-16 lead on back-to-back run-scoring singles up the middle by Renzoni and Miller-Jones.

After loading the bases in the bottom of the eighth, following a two-out error, Zarotney delivered a two-out, two-run single up the middle off Matt Goitz, increasing the lead to 20-16.

The Hawks rallied in the top of the ninth, as Dombrowski laced a two-run single, and Boyd singled in Monmouth's 19th run, but Terry struck out with the tying run on base to end the game.

Smith worked 5.1 innings allowing 11 runs on 12 hits with four strikeouts, while Jonathan Shippee surrendered three runs without retiring a batter. Nick McNamara (0-1), who was saddled with the loss, allowed three runs on four hits, while Neil Harm gave up a run in a third of an inning. Goitz, who struck out three, surrendered a pair of unearned runs, in 1.1 frames.

Monmouth returns to action on Wednesday, when the Hawks host Lafayette at 3:30 p.m.