NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - Kaitie Schumacher (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch) went 3-for-4 with
two home runs and five RBI's as the Monmouth University softball team defeated
Central Connecticut, 11-6, Monday afternoon at CCSU Softball Field. The game
was the second of a doubleheader originally scheduled for Sunday, before Game 2
was rained out. With the win, the Hawks improve to 18-18 (8-8 NEC), while the Blue
Devils fall to 25-17 (7-7 NEC).
With the outburst, Schumacher
now nine home runs, second only to Christine Scherr's (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth
Area) NEC-leading 10, and a team-leading 31 RBI's on the season. Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift,
Pa./Kiski Area), Kate Kuzma (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck), Kayleena Flores
(Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) and Alicia DeSanto (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper
Darby) contributed two hits each for the Hawks. Flores and Vanessa Cardoza
(Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View) scored twice each, with Cardoza hitting her fourth
home run of the season.
Lauren Sulick (Canfield,
Ohio/Canfield) picked up the win in the circle for Monmouth, allowing five
earned runs on five hits and five walks in five innings pitched. She struck out
two. Alissa Schoelkopf (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) pitched two innings
in relief, limiting CCSU to one earned run on a solo home run. She struck out
three.
The Blue Devils struck first
for one run on Nicole Springer's RBI single in the first. The Hawks answered
back on Cardoza's solo home run in the second to tie the game at 1-1. Schumacher
then led off the fourth with a solo home run to left, giving the Hawks their
first lead of the game at 2-1. Monmouth would never trail again.
Weiser followed with a single,
before Kuzma doubled to put runners on second and third. An error on the next
play allowed both runners to score and left Flores on third. Flores scored on
Chelsea Paprocki's (Manassas, Va./Forest Park) sacrifice fly.
Scherr led off the fifth with
a bunt single, before moving to second on Tish Derer's (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint
Basil Academy) sacrifice bunt. Scherr then scored on Schumacher's second home
run of the day, this time a blast to center field, putting the Hawks on top,
7-1.
The Blue Devils got four runs
back in the bottom of the fifth. Arielle Bruno started the scoring with a
two-run home run to left. Two walks and a Springer single loaded the bases for
Sarah Vlahos, who doubled in two more runs to cut the Hawks' lead to 7-5.
Schumacher struck for her
fourth and fifth RBI's of the game with a two-out single in the sixth, scoring
DeSanto and Paprocki to cushion the Hawks' lead to 9-5. Monmouth added two more
runs on three hits and two errors in the top of the seventh. Flores singled,
moving Cardoza to third, before both runners advanced an additional base on an
errant throw. Flores later scored on a similar play in which DeSanto singled
and a throwing error allowed all runners to advance.
Tessa Brown homered down the
right field line to lead off the bottom of the seventh to account for the final
11-6.
The Hawks return to action
Wednesday, when they play host to Garden State foe Rider in a non-conference
doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at MU Softball Park.
