SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Craig Sweeney (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) and Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) had two hits each, but the Monmouth University baseball team was defeated by league-leading Bryant, 7-3, Sunday afternoon at Conaty Park. With the loss, the Hawks fall to 29-21 (18-10 NEC), while the Bulldogs improve to 36-15-1 (23-5 NEC). Bryant took 3-of-4 from the Hawks to become the first conference foe to take a series victory from Monmouth this season.
Guida drove in one with a double in the fourth, while Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic), Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) and Joe Bamford (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional [Northampton C.C.]) each had a hit and a run scored. Chris McKenna (Pine Beach, N.J./Toms River South) took the loss on the mound, allowing four runs, only one of which was earned, on six hits. He struck out two in 2.2 innings pitched.
AJ Zarozny, Kevin Brown, John Mullen and Robby Rinn had two hits each to pace the Bryant offense. Brown drove in two with a home run in the sixth, while Zarozny, Mullen and Jordan Mountford scored two runs each. Kevin McAvoy earned the win on the mound for the Bulldogs, tossing six innings. He allowed three earned runs on six hits and two walks, striking out one. Joseph Michaud worked three innings for the save, scattering one hit and three walks without allowing a run. He struck out one.
The Hawks immediately jumped out in front in the top of the first, with a line-up shake-up paying quick dividends. Wilgus, placed back atop the line-up after seven games in the No. 2 hole, and Perry, hitting second for the first time since mid-March, had back-to-back base hits to put runners on second and third with no one out. Both runners moved up on a passed ball, and after Jake Gronsky (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) was hit by a pitch, Perry scored the second run on an Owen Stewart (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) double-play ball.
The Bulldogs tied the game in the bottom of the first. Mountford led off with a double down the right field line, before Zarozny drove him in with a single to right. Zarozny advanced to third on a two-base error on the play and scored on Mullen's one-out single up the middle to tie the game.
Bryant took the lead in the third. Mountford reached on a fielding error and moved to second when Brown was plunked with one out. A Mullen fielder's choice pushed Mountford to third, while erasing Brown at second for the second out. Consecutive two-out singles from Carl Anderson and Dan Muscatello gave Bryant a 4-2 lead and signaled the end of the day for McKenna. Anthony Ciavarella (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) came out of the bullpen and following his first pitch, Perry picked Anderson off third to end the inning.
The Hawks closed to within one in the fourth. Sweeney singled through the left side with one out before being replaced at first by Bamford on a fielder's choice. Guida then split the outfielders to right center with a run-scoring double to make it 4-3.
But Bryant tacked on an unearned run in the seventh. Mullen singled to short and moved to second on a throwing error. Following a groundout that put Mullen on third, Jeff Paglione (Mantua, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) was replaced by Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) on the mound. Frey fielded his position on a lineout to begin his outing, but Rinn then singled up the middle with two outs to give the Bulldogs a 5-3 cushion. Frey then got the first two outs of the eighth, before surrendering a Zarozny single and a Brown two-run home run to make it 7-3 Bryant.
Michaud, typically a mid-week starting pitcher, allowed at least one base runner in each of his three innings pitched, but did not allow any of them to score in securing the three-inning save.
The Hawks square off against LIU Brooklyn next weekend in the final regular-season series of the year. First pitch of a nine-inning game on Friday is scheduled for 3 p.m. from MU Baseball Field.
