STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - The Monmouth University softball team swept a Northeast Conference doubleheader from Wagner College on Sunday afternoon, winning 6-3 in 10 innings and 10-0 in five innings. The Hawks, who have now won three in a row and five of their last seven, improve to 20-20 overall and 9-9 in the NEC, while the Seahawks fall to 12-26 and 7-11 in the conference.
"It was nice to finally win two games on the road, but more importantly we never gave up in the first one," said MU head coach Louie Berndt. "We kept coming back and continued to fight. In game two, it was nice to see the bats finally get hot, and not just one bat, but all of them were hot. I was glad to see some of the players get some long overdue hits. The team did a great job today."
With her two-run home run in the first inning of the second game, senior Emily deLong (Rothschild, Wisc. /DC Everest) tied the program's career record of 35, previously held by Heather Gordon (2004-07).
Junior Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio /Canfield) won both games in the circle for the Hawks to improve to 18-12 on the season. The 18 wins place Sulick third on the Monmouth single-season victories list, one shy of Scarlett Reuter's (1998-2001) 19 in 1999 for second.
In the first game of the day, Monmouth struck in its first at-bat when sophomore Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa. /Kiski Area) drove in freshman Alicia DeSanto (Upper Darby, Pa. /Upper Darby), who led off the game with a walk, with a single up the middle. The Seahawks struck for two in the bottom of the first and one in the second to take a 3-1 lead.
MU fought back, adding a run apiece in the sixth and the seventh to tie the contest. In the sixth, sophomore Kate Kuzma (Freehold, N.J. /Colts Neck) singled home deLong, who doubled, to cut the Seahawks' lead to one. Then, in the seventh, DeSanto singled and came around to score to force extra innings.
After a scoreless eighth and ninth, MU recorded three runs in the top of the 10th to seize control of the contest. deLong scored on a fielder's choice from Colleen Kelly (Tallmadge, Ohio /Tallmadge) to put MU up, 4-3. The Hawks then received an insurance shot from freshman Kaitie Schumacher (San Diego, Calif. /Scripps Ranch), who lifted a two-run home run, her fifth of the season, over the left center field fence.
Sulick went all 10 innings, giving up only five hits and one walk while striking out six.
In the second game, MU used an eight-run fourth inning to record the five frame victory. Monmouth used a balanced offensive attack in the game as each starter recorded at least one run scored or driven in.
Weiser went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and a run scored, while sophomore Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa. /Saint Basil Academy) and deLong each scored two runs.
Monmouth returns to action on Saturday when it visits Mount St. Mary's on the NEC's make-up weekend.
