BOCA RATON, FLA. - The Monmouth University baseball team fell in the first game of a three game set with Florida Atlantic, 8-4, Friday night at FAU Baseball Stadium.  The loss drops the Hawks record to 2-2 on the season while the Owls improve to 8-3 with the victory.

MU jumped on top in the first inning, as senior Ryan Terry (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) walked and advanced to third on classmate Nick Pulsonetti's (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) double.  Junior Jamie Rosenkranz followed with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Terry, to put the Hawks ahead, 1-0.

In the bottom half of the frame, the Owls scored seven runs on seven hits while taking advantage of three MU errors to jump ahead, 7-1.

Rookie Ed Martin (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan [Brookdale CC]) walked to lead off the second inning, advanced to third on Owen Stewart's (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) single and later scored on Steve Sanguiliano's (Flemington, N.J./Hunterdon Central)) fielder's choice to cut the deficit to five, 7-2.

The Owls added a run in the bottom of the second on Nick Delguidice's RBI single scoring Dan Scheffler who reached base by getting hit by a pitch from Monmouth starter Nick Meyers (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick).

Pulsonetti registered his second double of the game with one out in the eighth advancing rookie Jake Gronsky (Danville, Pa./Danville Area)) to third, who started off the frame with a pinch-hit walk.  Rosenkranz singled, driving in Gronsky, and advanced Pulsonetti to third who later scored on a wild pitch to cut the Owls lead in half, 8-4.

Stewart tallied three hits, tying a career high, while Pulsonetti added two hits of his own while Rosenkranz drove in two for the Hawks.

Meyers is credited with the loss for the Hawks, as he threw three innings, allowing eight runs, two earned, on nine hits while fanning three batters.  Joe Loiodice (Forest Hill, Md./John Carroll), John McDonald (Langhorne, Pa./Conwell Egan Catholic), Chris Perret (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic)  and Nick Vallillo (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional)  combined to pitch five scoreless innings out of the bullpen, striking out two.  Owls' starter Ryan Garton picked up the win, throwing seven innings allowing two runs on three hits and striking out eight Hawks.

The Hawks and Owls meet again tomorrow, March 5th, in game two of the three game series, with first pitch at 4 p.m.