EMMITSBURG,MD. - The Monmouth University baseball team claimed is ninth Northeast Conference Regular Season Championship with its 9-2 victory in the NEC series opener at Mount St. Mary's, Thursday afternoon. Nick Meyers (East Brunswick, N.J./East Brunswick) earned his eighth win of the season throwing 8.0 innings while Nick Pulsonetti (Old Tappan, N.J./Northern Valley Regional) drove in five runs on two home runs, his 35th and 36th round-trippers of his career, which breaks MU's all-time record.
"I am happy for our players, especially our seniors," said 18th year head man Dean Ehehalt, who picked up his 500th career win last weekend. "Every season we set a goal to win the regular season and this year our consistency has enabled us to do so. We look forward to completing our regular season and then the opportunity to play for our conference championships and a NCAA bid. The senior leadership and our focus up until this point has been outstanding and we are looking forward to playing one pitch at a time."
The Hawks (32-16, 23-6 NEC) will be the number one seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference Championships which is set for May 19-22 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut.
With the league victory, MU also ties the program-record for league wins, set in 2002, when the Hawks went 23-4.
Pulsonetti's, who entered the contest tied with two-time All-American First Team selection Jay Law, now stands alone on the top of MU's home run charts with 36 career four-baggers.
Monmouth struck in the opening inning as Ed Martin (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan [Brookdale CC]) reached on a fielding error and moved to second on Ryan Terry's [Levittown, Pa./Harry S. Truman) free pass. Pulsonetti followed with an RBI base hit to right, chasing in Martin, to put the Hawks up 1-0.
MSM took the lead in the home half of the second on a two-run double to go ahead, 2-1, its only lead of the contest.
The Hawks responded in the fourth when Owen Stewart (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) was hit by a pitch, moved to second on Cal Costanzo's (Edison, N.J./Edison) single and both runners advanced on Jon Guida's (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) infield hit. Josh Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) connected on a two-run single, chasing in Stewart and Costanzo, to put MU up 3-2.
Rookie Jake Gronsky's (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) single plated Terry, who doubled to lead off the fifth, to increase the lead to 4-2.
Pulsonetti connected on the first of his two home runs in the seventh, a two-run blast, scoring Terry who reached on a single. An inning later, the senior sent a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall, also a two-run home run, scoring Terry who walked, for his eighth home run of the season and 8-2 Monmouth lead.
Costanzo, who doubled and moved to third on Guida's ground out, scored on a wild pitch to account for the Hawks' ninth and final run in the final frame.
Meyers picks up his eighth win of the season, working 8.0 innings, allowing two runs on four hits, while striking out six and only walking one. Nick McNamara (Branchburg, N.J./Somerville) threw a perfect ninth out of the bullpen for the Hawks.
Mount starter Brett Moore earned the loss, allowing four runs on seven hits.
Monmouth and Mount continues its four-game NEC series with a doubleheader tomorrow, May 13th, slated for 1 p.m.
