NORWICH, Conn. - The #1 seed Monmouth University baseball team, Northeast Conference Regular Season Champions, defeated fourth seeded Central Connecticut State University, 6-3, in an elimination game at Dodd Stadium, Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Pat Light pitched his first-career nine inning complete game in the win for the Hawks, who advance to the NEC Championship round against Sacred Heart.
The right-hander struck out six Blue Devils and retired seven straight hitters from the end of the third to the end of the fifth innings. Light also sent down nine in a row with the bases full in the sixth through the first two outs of the ninth inning.
In the bottom of the first, CCSU scratched out a run against Light after Dylan DelaCruz singled to center and cleanup hitter Pat Epps doubled down the left field line with two outs. J.P. Sportman followed with an infield single to third base, plating DelaCruz and giving the Blue Devils a 1-0 advantage.
Light settled in nicely in the second frame, putting down CCSU in order, including a tremendous defensive play from shortstop Jon Guida, as he ranged to his right and threw across the diamond to retire Sean Miller-Jones.
Monmouth evened the score in the top of the third with a run scoring infield single from NEC Player of the Year Ryan Terry. Terry came to the dish with two down, after a one out walk to Josh Boyd, after base knock through the left side by Jamie Rosenkranz and a fielder's choice off the bat of Ed Martin.
Needing a shutdown inning in the bottom half of the third, the Blue and White continued to flash the leather as second basemen Jake Gronsky made a sliding play toward the second base bag and threw to first to put away leadoff hitter Jake Matuzak. DelaCruz then hit a hot shot to third base and Terry made a diving stop of and threw out the left fielder to take away a base hit. Light got Epps to fly out to center to end the inning.
After a 1-2-3 fourth frame from the righty Light, who struck out Miller-Jones to end the inning, MU broke the tie in the fifth. Rosenkranz collected his third hit of the game with a fly ball down the right field line that the junior legged out for a double. Martin poked a single through the right side, chasing home Rosenkranz and giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead. Nick Pulsonetti doubled to left but Chris Perret, who singled in his first two at bats grounded to shortstop to end the threat.
Light continued to mow down the Central Connecticut hitters in the fifth as he took seven pitches to retire the side in order.
Gronsky laced a double in the gap in right center to begin the sixth that ended CCSU starter Harry Glynn's afternoon. Cal Costanzo sacrificed him to third, Guida walked and Josh Boyd reached base on a fielder's choice that brought home Gronsky, extending the lead to 3-1. Boyd swiped both second and third base with Rosenkranz at the dish, before he singled to left center field off reliever Josh Ingham, giving MU a 4-1 lead.
CCSU responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the sixth as DelaCruz hit a leadoff single, ending a stretch of seven straight Blue Devils retired. Light induced a groundout from Mitch Wells for the first out and then gave up back-to-back singles to Epps and Sportman, which scored DelaCruz. Two consecutive walks, including a bases loaded free pass to Miller-Jones brought Central Connecticut within one at 4-3. Light battled to get out of the bases loaded jam by striking out Tyler McIntyre looking and getting Danny Hickey to groundout to second.
The Blue and White added two insurance runs in the ninth after Guida led off with a walk, he came around to score after a Martin sacrifice and two wild pitches from Ingham. Josh Savatsky came on to relieve Ingham after consecutive walks to Martin and Terry and Pulsonetti greeted him with a first-pitch line drive to center field to score Martin and increase the MU lead to 6-3.
Rosenkranz finished with four hits, an RBI and a run scored while Pulsonetti and Perret eached chipped in two base knocks as well.
