WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University baseball team defeated Columbia, 9-4, in non-league action Wednesday afternoon. The Hawks, who were lead by freshman Jake Gronsky's (Danville, Pa./Danville) four-RBI performance, improve to 10-11 with the victory while the Lions fall to 9-9 on the season.
MU batted around in the first inning, scoring five runs on six hits including five straight hits to lead off the frame. Jamie Rosenkranz (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) tripled on the first pitch from Lions' starter David Speer, Gronsky singled, scoring Rosenkranz and Ryan Terry (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) took an 2-0 pitch over the right field wall, his first home run of the season, giving MU a 3-0 lead. Nick Pulsonetti (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) and Ed Martin (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan [Brookdale CC]) continued the attack recording back-to-back singles, both advancing on Owen Stewart's (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) sacrifice bunt. Rookie Tim Bickford (Whitehouse Station, N.J./Immaculata) flew out to left field, allowing Pulsonetti to score on the sacrifice, followed by Jon Guida's (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) single up the middle, chasing home Martin, capped off the five-run first.
Bickford lead off the fourth getting plunked with a pitch from reliever Ricky Kleban and advanced to second on Guida's free pass. After Josh Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) sacrificed both runners over and Rosenkranz walked, Gronsky flew out to center field, scoring Bickford who tagged up from third, which pushed the Hawks lead to 6-0.
The Hawks added to their lead in the sixth as Guida walked and moved to second on Boyd's single. After a pass ball, Gronksy doubled on a 1-0 pitch to left-center field, scoring Guida and Boyd, and later came around on Martin's base hit to right, giving the Hawks a comfortable 9-0 lead.
The Lions got on the board in the seventh on Alexander Aurrichio's two-out grand slam, yet was not enough to catch up to MU.
Chris Perret (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic) earns his first win of the season, allowing just three hits in 5.0 innings of work, while Nick Vallillo (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) threw 1.2 innings allowing three unearned runs and recording four punch-outs. Joe Loiodice (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll), Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville), Matt Frazier (Whippany, N.J./Whippany Park) and Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) combined to allow four hits and one run in the final 2.1 innings.
Speer is credited with the loss for Columbia, which used seven pitchers in the contest, allowing five runs on six hits in an inning of action.
Monmouth returns to league play this weekend as it opens up a four-game Northeast Conference series with Central Connecticut State on Friday at 3 p.m.
