BROOKLYN, N.Y. - The Monmouth University baseball team earned a Northeast Conference sweep of LIU Brooklyn, Saturday afternoon at LIU Field. The Hawks posted a 3-2 victory in game one behind sophomore Andrew McGee's (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) nine-strikeout, no walk, complete-game outing, while earning a 5-4 win in the nightcap behind a 3-for-4, one RBI performance from junior Danny Avella (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy). With the pair of victories, the Blue and White have registered 30 wins for the second-straight season and the eighth time under head coach Dean Ehehalt.
With the game knotted at 2-2 in the sixth inning of game one, Josh Boyd (Port Murray, N.J./West Morris Central) roped a triple to center field and scored the game-winning run on a balk by LIU Brooklyn's starter Chris Franzese.
McGee worked his second-straight complete game, allowing two runs on five hits with a career-high nine punch-outs without yielding a free pass. With the victory, the sophomore improves to 6-3 on the year.
Jake Gronksy (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) connected on his second home run of the season, a two-run blast, scoring Jamie Rosenkranz (Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township), who started the game with a double, gave the Blue and White a 2-0 lead.
The Blackbirds tied the game in the third on RBI doubles from Chris Untereiner and Brad Greve, but could not find answers against McGee.
In defeat, Franzese threw six innings, allowing three runs on five hits and four walks and a balk.
Ahead 5-2 in the ninth inning of the nightcap, Untereiner's two-run home run brought the Blackbirds within one, 5-4, but freshman Adam Yunginger (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) entered and struck out the final three batters to register his third save of the season.
The Hawks grabbed a first-inning lead on an RBI single by Avella, plating Ed Martin (Hazlet, N.J./Raritan [Broodale CC]) who earned a free pass with one out.
Martin, Gronsky and Avella each singled with one out in the third inning and Chris Perret (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic) delivered a two-run single to push the Hawks ahead, 3-0.
LIU Brooklyn got on the board in the home half of the inning on Untereiner's first home run of the contest.
MU responded in the top of the fourth as Owen Stewart (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) doubled and came around to score on Boyd's sacrifice bunt that was thrown away by the Blackbird's third basemen. Boyd then swiped second and came around to touch home on Martin's single up the middle, increasing the Hawks' lead to four.
After a sacrifice fly by Julian Castro which brought the Blackbirds within 5-2, the home team looked to tack on more with the bases loaded and two outs. Joe Loiodice (Forest Hills, Md./John Carroll) entered from the Hawks' bullpen and educed a groundball to Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) at shortstop. The sophomore infielder dove, corralled the ball, and fired over to Stewart at first to escape the jam.
Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) allowed a pair of runs on four hits, while striking out four in 3.2 innings of work. Loiodice (Forest Hills, Md./John Carroll) picked up his first career win, working a perfect 1.1 innings with a strikeout. Neil Harm (Hamilton, N.J./Steinert) surrendered two runs on a hit before handing the ball over to Yunginger.
Dan Smith (Marlton, N.J./Cherokee) will earn the start tomorrow a 1 p.m. as Monmouth looks for the series sweep of the Blackbirds.
