WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - The Monmouth University softball team split its Northeast Conference doubleheader with Central Connecticut State University on Saturday afternoon, losing the first game, 1-0 in eight innings and winning the second contest, 7-6 in 10 innings. The Hawks move to 18-20 overall on the season and 7-9 in the league, while the Blue Devils are now 23-20-1 overall and 9-9 in the conference.
The Hawks and CCSU went back and forth in the second game until MU was able to hustle its way to the win in extra innings. Freshman Alicia DeSanto (Upper Darby, Pa. /Upper Darby) scored the game-winning run from second base after an error on a ball put into play from Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa. /Kiski Area) that didn't leave the infield. Teammate Chelsea Paprocki (Manassas, Va. /Forest Park) knotted the game at 6-6 on the same play, scoring in front of DeSanto.
Senior Dara Palms (Humble, Tex./ Humble) earned the win in relief for the Hawks, not allowing an earned run in her four innings of work. She gave up three hits and two runs. She took over for Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio /Canfield), who started both games, after she allowed five hits and four runs (one earned) in six innings.
Senior Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc. /DC Everest) got the Monmouth scoring started in the second game with a RBI single down the left field line, plating DeSanto.
Weiser had the biggest hit of the day for MU when tied the game with a two-RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, scoring DeSanto and Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa. /Saint Basil Academy).
DeSanto went 4-for-6, raising her season average to .307, in the second game, adding three runs scored. Colleen Kelly (Tallmadge, Ohio /Tallmadge) went 3-for-4 for the Hawks, while Derer, Weiser and deLong each had two hits in the second contest.
Sulick was the tough-luck loser in the first game, giving up one run and six hits in eight innings of work. She was outdueled by CCSU's Liz Montemurro, who fired a three-hit shutout.
Pinch-hitter Kate Hoffman collected the game-winning hit for the Blue Devils in the eighth inning of the first game, driving in Kat Knowles.
MU returns to action tomorrow when it travels to Staten Island for a 12:00 pm NEC twinbill with Wagner College.
