WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Senior center fielder Chelsea Paprocki (Manassas, Va./Forest Park) scored the game-winning run in Game 1 and drove in the go-ahead runs in Game 2 as the Monmouth University softball team swept LIU Brooklyn, 2-1 and 9-1, on Senior Day Sunday afternoon at MU Softball Park. With the wins, the Hawks conclude the regular season at 24-18 (12-8 NEC) and move ever so close to an NEC Tournament berth. A Saint Francis (Pa.) loss in any of the Red Flash's four remaining games against Central Connecticut and Quinnipiac, among other possibilities, would clinch the Hawks' berth. LIU Brooklyn, which began the day in first place in the NEC, falls to 21-32 (12-6 NEC) with the losses. The results, paired with a Robert Morris sweep of CCSU, clinched the NEC Regular Season Championship for the Colonials and gave RMU the right to host the NEC Tournament.

Paprocki finished the day 4-for-5 with a double and a team-best three RBI's. Alicia DeSanto (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby), Kaitie Schumacher (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch), Kayleena Flores (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) and Christine Scherr (Nazareth, Pa./Nazareth Area) each finished with two hits. Colleen Kelly (Tallmadge, Ohio/Tallmadge) also added a two-RBI single in her only official at bat, while also reaching on a hit-by-pitch in her other plate appearance.

Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) picked up the Game 1 win, limiting the Blackbirds to one earned run on five hits and four walks over seven innings. She struck out three. Alissa Schoelkopf (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) earned the Game 2 win, also allowing just one earned run on four hits and two walks in the full six innings. She struck out two.

The Blackbirds scored in the first inning of Game 1 to take a 1-0 lead. After Sulick recorded outs on the first two batters, LIU scratched across a hit and a walk to put runners on first and second. Sterling Hoham's two-out RBI single gave the Blackbirds the 1-0 lead.

Monmouth drew even in the second with a two-out rally of its own. Flores started the rally with a single to center, before Paprocki doubled to left to drive her in. In the seventh, Paprocki led off with a walk, before moving to second on DeSanto's sacrifice bunt. After Scherr was intentionally walked, Kelly pinch hit and was hit by a Cassie Vondrak offering to load the bases. Forced to pitch to Schumacher, whom the Blackbirds opted to intentionally walk earlier in the game, LIU Head Coach Roy Kortmann went to his bullpen and Megan Sheaf. But Schumacher ripped Sheaf's offering to right-center field for the walk-off win.    

In Game 2, the two teams exchanged a run apiece in the second and third innings, before Monmouth got four runs each in the fourth and sixth innings to enact the mercy rule. Kayla Weiser (Vandergrift, Pa./Kiski Area) doubled, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on Flores' fielder's choice in the second to give MU the 1-0 lead. LIU drew even on a pair of doubles by Sheaf and Paris Shipp in the third.

The Hawks scored four runs on five hits and an error in the fourth. Paprocki delivered a two-run single to give the Hawks the lead for good at 3-1. Scherr singled in Paprocki and moved to third on a two-base error by the left fielder. She later scored on a passed ball to make it 5-1 Hawks.

Four more runs on four hits and two errors followed in the sixth. Paprocki and DeSanto each singled to lead off the inning before moving to second and third on a wild pitch. On the following play, Scherr grounded to third and LIU looked to have Paprocki caught between third and home plate. Paprocki cautiously ran toward the plate, seemingly looking to get into a rundown to allow the trailing runners to move to second and third. While accomplishing the latter, Paprocki also beat the throw home to score the Hawks' sixth run. After Michelle Rapp (Hammonton, N.J./Hammonton) reached on a throwing error to load the bases and the next two Hawks to bat recorded outs, Kelly singled up the middle to plate two runs, pushing the Hawks' lead to 8-1. Kate Kuzma (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck) then singled on the infield and the second baseman threw the ball away attempting to beat her at first, allowing the ninth run to score while also enacting the eight-run mercy rule.