SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Monmouth University baseball team dropped a pair of contests at Bryant University, in a Northeast Conference doubleheader. A day after defeating the Bulldogs 17-3 in the series opener, the Hawks fell 3-1 in game one, and 4-2 in the second contest on Saturday afternoon.
In game one, Pat Light (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) tossed his second straight complete game, but was saddled with the loss, as the Bulldogs rallied with three runs in the final two innings to secure the victory.
Monmouth, which notched a hit in each of the first five innings, broke a scoreless tie in the top of the fifth frame when Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan) led off with a single up the middle, advanced to second on Josh Boyd's (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) walk and moved to third on a passed ball. With a pair of runners in scoring position, Bickford scored on an error charged to the shortstop, as Ed Martin (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan [Brookdale CC]) reached safely on the play, giving the Hawks a 1-0 edge.
Bryant answered with a single run in the home half of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1 when Zachary Trenteseaux led off with a single to center and later scored on Dan Muscatello's sacrifice fly.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bulldogs collected back-to-back hit-by-pitches to open the frame, before Light intentionally walked David Soltis to load the bases with one out. With the game tied, Jamie Skagerlind laced a run-scoring single to center for the go-ahead run, plating Kevin Brown, while Trenteseaux added a sac fly to drive in Jordan English, giving Bryant a 3-1 lead.
Light (1-3) worked 6.0 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, with three strikeouts in the loss.
Bryant starter, Craig Schlitter, tossed 4.1 frames, surrendering an unearned run, on five hits, while Mark Andrews (3-1) picked up the victory in relief, working 2.2 scoreless and hitless innings, with four strikeouts.
Ryan Terry (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman), who led off game one with a double to left, repeated the feat with a double down the leftfield line to start game two, and crossed home on Jamie Rosenkranz's (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) double, giving the Hawks a 1-0 advantage in the first inning.
Bryant pulled even at 1-1 in the third inning off Monmouth starter Dan Smith (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee), as Soltis delivered a two-out single to left center.
The Hawks reclaimed a one-run lead in the top of the fifth frame when Cal Costanzo (Edison, N.J./Edison) led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on a Boyd bunt attempt, and scored on Martin's single up the middle, off of Salvatore Lisanti.
Mike Delponte's second homer of the season, a two-run shot, in the bottom of the fifth pushed the Bulldogs in front 3-2, and Bryant claimed a 4-2 edge later in the inning on Connor Carignan's RBI double to left center.
Smith (0-2) was tagged with the loss for the Hawks, working 4.2 innings, allowing four runs on eight hits, with five strikeouts, while McGee allowed two hits over the final 1.1 scoreless frames.
Monmouth, which collected four doubles in game two, notched seven hits, as Terry and Nick Pulsonetti (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) registered a pair of hits each. Bryant's top-four hitters in its lineup had two hits apiece in the nightcap to pace the Bulldogs to the sweep, after falling in game one of the NEC series 17-3 on Friday afternoon.
Lisanti collected his first win of the season, allowing two runs on seven hits, while striking out five in 6.1 innings of work. Mark Andrews is credited with the save pitching a perfect 0.2 innings.
Monmouth (8-10, 4-3) returns to action on Sunday afternoon, when the Hawks and Bulldogs play the final game of the Northeast Conference set, as Andy McDonnell (Newtown Square, Pa. (Archbishop Carroll) is set to take the ball for MU, at 1:00 p.m.
