WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University baseball team defeated in-state rival Saint Peter's, 11-3, Wednesday afternoon in non-conference action. Rookie Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) threw 6.0 innings of no-hit relief, while Nick Pulsonetti (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) and Danny Avella (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) each homered in the victory.
MU, which is 12-2 at home this season, improves to 21-13 with its seventh straight victory while SPC falls to 11-21 with the loss.
Saint Peter's scored three runs on two hits, its only two of the game, in the first inning off MU's starter John McDonald (Langhorne, Pa./Conwell Egan Catholic).
Monmouth got on the board in the home half of the second inning as Avella took a 2-0 pitch over the right field wall for his Northeast Conference leading eighth home run of the season. Pulsonetti and Cal Costanzo (Edison, N.J./Edison) followed with back-to-back singles and advanced on Anthony Lawrence's (Fairless Hills, Pa./Pennsbury) fly out. Rookie Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) recorded a RBI sacrifice fly, scoring Pulsonetti, Josh Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Catholic) singled through the right side, chasing in Costanzo, and Jamie Rosenkranz (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township) doubled, plating Boyd, to give MU a 4-3 lead.
Costanzo recorded a sacrifice fly in the third, scoring Ryan Terry (Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) who walked to lead off the frame, to push the Hawks lead to 5-3.
With one out in the fourth, Rosenkranz doubled down the right field line which brought in Josh Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Catholic) who reach on an infield bunt single with one out. After back-to-back walks to Terry and Avella, Pulsonetti registered a two-run single to left, brining home Rosenkranz and Terry giving the Blue and White a five run advantage, 8-3.
Chris Perret (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic) started the bottom of the seventh with a double and Avella was plunked by a pitch to set up Pulsonetti's three-run home run, his fourth of the year, to take a commanding 11-3 lead.
Pulsonetti drove in five runs which ties his career-mark for the third time, while Rosenkranz and Boyd added three hits apiece for MU.
Frey earns his second victory of the season with his near perfect relief performance, striking out five while only walking one in 6.0 innings of action. Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) stuck out all three batters he faced in the eighth, while Pat Light (Colts Neck, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) fanned two, in the ninth. McDonald allowed three runs on two hits in his inning of work.
Mike Pearson is saddled with the loss for SPC, which used six pitchers in the contest, allowing two runs on two hits in 0.2 innings from the bullpen. Joe Jimenez started for the Peacocks, hurling 1.1 innings, yielding three runs on three hits.
Monmouth returns to action tomorrow, Thursday April 21st, at 3:30 p.m. for a non-conference battle with Princeton at the MU Baseball Field.
