NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - The Monmouth University baseball team held off a late rally by Central Connecticut State to win game one, 14-12, before dropping the nightcap, 6-1, Saturday afternoon in a Northeast Conference doubleheader. The Hawks, who received a combined 6-for-8 performance in the two games from senior Ed Martin (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan [Brookdale CC]), now stand at 21-14 (10-5 NEC) after the split, while the Blue Devils move to 18-15 (11-8 NEC).
In game one, the Hawks broke the ice in the second inning, putting four runs on the board. Chris Perret (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic) singled, reached third on a Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) base hit and scored on Josh Boyd's (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) fielder's choice. After swiping second, Boyd came around to score on rookie Kyle Perry's (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) single to left field and Martin followed with his first home run of the year, a two-run shot, giving the Blue and White a 4-0 lead.
Anthony Turgeon's triple and Tyler McIntyre's single to start the home half of the second brought Central within three, but the Hawks responded in the fourth with another four-run inning. Guida led the frame off with a triple and scored on Perry's second RBI single of the contest. Martin connected on a base hit to left and Jamie Rosenkranz (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township), after a pitching change, blasted a three-run home run to left field to stake Monmouth to a 8-1 lead. The senior's round-tripper was his 200th career hit in a Monmouth uniform.
The Hawks increased their advantage to 10-1 in the fifth inning on Owen Stewart's (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) groundout, scoring Perret who reached on an error and a fielding blunder by Central's second baseman allowed Guida to cross home plate.
Central exploded for a five-run fifth inning to reduce Monmouth's advantage to four, 10-6, but Stewart worked a bases loaded walk, scoring Rosenkranz who singled, Guida's fielder's choice groundout plated Stewart , and Gronsky came around to score in the sixth on an error to push MU's lead to 13-6.
CCSU connected on four hits in the bottom of the sixth to post another five-run inning to cut the Hawks' lead to two, 13-11, but again the Hawks answered in the ensuing inning, scoring a run on a bases loaded walk to Perret to go ahead by three, 14-11.
Dylan DelaCruz's double scoring a CCSU run in the bottom of the seventh inning but Adam Yunginger got the final three outs for the Blue and White for his second save of the season.
Martin connected on three hits in the first game, driving in two runs and scoring three times for MU. Rosenkranz, Gronsky, Guida and Perry each chipped in a pair of hits for the Hawks.
Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) picked up his fourth win of the year. The sophomore hurled 4.2 innings, allowing six runs on seven hits with three punch-outs. T.J. Hunt (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) and Joe Loiodice (Forest Hills, Md./John Carroll) both saw action out of the Hawks' bullpen.
In the nightcap, Central jumped ahead 3-0 in the second inning on Turgeon's RBI single and A.J. Lowers' two-run home run.
Monmouth scored its lone run in the third inning on three-straight two-out hits by Martin, Rosenkranz and Gronksy, but CCSU added three more insurance runs in the fifth to secure the split in the doubleheader. DelaCruz registered a RBI double and McIntyre connected on a two-run blast over the right field wall to give the Blue Devils the five run victory.
Martin went 3-for-4 in game two and added an outfield assist, while Gronsky and Stewart each chipped in two base knocks to account for the Hawks' eight hits.
In the defeat, Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) allowed six runs on 11 hits in 5.2 innings of work. Stephen Prosapio (Nanuet, N.Y./Nanuet) retired the lone batter he faced in the sixth.
The Hawks and Blue Devils will conclude their four-game NEC series with a 1 p.m. tilt on Sunday.
