WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.-The Monmouth Hawks returned to conference play against the Robert Morris Colonials on Saturday afternoon. The Hawks lost both games by respective scores of 4-0 and 6-2. Monmouth is now 17-12 on the season and 6-4 in Northeast Conference play, and Robert Morris moves to 16-9 on the season and 4-0 in conference play.
Senior Lauren Sulick (Canfield, Ohio/Canfield) pitched game one and tallied two walks and four strikeouts in the contest. Freshman Cerissa Rivera (Westminster, Calif./Fountain Valley) took the mound game two and had 11 strikeouts and one walk. Senior Kate Kuzma (Freehold, N.J./Colts Neck) went 1-2 with a home run in game two.
Game one saw the Hawks get shut out by the Colonials, and sophomore Nicole Sleith went the full seven innings and had four strikeouts and two walks. Robert Morris got on the board in the top of the first with a home run by right fielder Tess Apke. In the fourth inning, a two-run home run by third baseman Chelsea Siar scored her and catcher Samantha Santillo. A fifth inning solo home run by designated hitter Haileigh Stocks gave Robert Morris the 4-0 lead and the win in the first contest.
In the third inning of the second game, the Colonials had another Siar home run, giving them the 1-0 lead. In the bottom half of the inning, Kuzma tied the game with her home run. In the fifth inning, the Colonials scored five runs. Siar was walked by Rivera, and left fielder Kristen Gabelt was hit by a pitch. A fielder's choice reach by short stop Cassie Show got her to first, and she reached second on an error by senior Tish Derer (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy). The Derer error moved Gabelt to third and pushed Siar home from second, breaking the tie and giving Robert Morris the 2-1 lead.
The next at-bat saw center fielder Chelsea Gerhart line to center field and reach base because of an Alicia DeSanto (Upper Darby, Pa./Upper Darby) fielding error. Gerhart advanced to second, Show to third and Gabelt score, giving the Colonials the 3-1 lead. An Alexis Schwartzmiller groundout moved Gabelt to third and scored Show, further extending Monmouth's deficit.
A double by Apke scored Gerhart and gave Robert Morris the 5-1 lead, and a single by first baseman Lauren Hackett two bats later scored Apke, giving the Colonials the 6-1 lead before the inning ended. In the bottom of the inning, a fielding error by pitcher Geena Badolato permitted sophomore Vanessa Cardoza (Santa Ana, Calif./Ocean View) to reach base and advance to second on the Badolato throw to first. Sophomore Kayleena Flores (Atwater, Calif./Buhach Colony) reached base on a fielding error by the second baseman, and she advanced to third and scored Cardoza. This put Monmouth in a 6-2 hole which they could not overcome in the last inning.
The Hawks will face the Wagner Seahawks Sunday, April 7 at 12:00 p.m. in Staten Island, N.Y. before returning home on Tuesday, April 9 at 3:00 p.m. for a midweek non-conference contest against the La Salle Explorers.
