NORWICH, Conn. - Chris Perret (Morris Plains, N.J./Morris Catholic) had two hits, but the top-seeded Monmouth University baseball team was defeated by No. 2 Sacred Heart, 6-0, in the NEC Tournament winners bracket Friday afternoon at Dodd Stadium. The loss sets up a 12 p.m. elimination game against Garden State rival Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday.

Monmouth starter Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) took the loss on the mound, allowing four runs, three earned, on seven hits and two walks. He struck out three. Sacred Heart's Nick Leiningen threw a complete-game shutout, scattering five hits and a walk, while striking out five.

The Pioneers struck first for two runs in the top of the second. Hunter Phillips and Connor McEvoy reached on a single and a walk, respectively, before Derick Horn's single to left center scored Phillips. Kenny Byram's two-out single back up the box brought McEvoy around to score to make it 2-0 Pioneers after an inning and a half.

Sacred Heart pushed across one run in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. The first was an unearned run to make it 3-0 in the top of the fourth. After a McEvoy single, Troy Scribner grounded to short with the runner on the move. Hawks shortstop Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) bobbled the ball before throwing high to first, allowing McEvoy to move to third. A Byram groundout scored McEvoy.

Dave Boisture led off the fifth with a single to center before moving to second on a passed ball. He then scored on John Murphy's single up the middle to stake the Pioneers to a 4-0 lead. Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) got the first two batters he faced in sixth before a pair of walks put runners on first and second. Murphy then singled to center to bring in the Pioneers' fifth run.

Sacred Heart tacked on a sixth run in the top of the ninth on a McEvoy single up the middle, scoring pinch runner Jonathan Servilla.