LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Second-seeded Sacred Heart scored five runs in the second inning en route to a 7-1 victory over No. 3 Monmouth, Thursday afternoon on the first day of the Northeast Conference Championships at FirstEnergy Park. With the loss, the Hawks will now face top-seeded Bryant in an elimination game tomorrow at noon. The Bulldogs fell to No. 4 LIU Brooklyn, 7-2, in Thursday's first game. The Blackbirds will face Sacred Heart in the winners' bracket tomorrow at 3:30 p.m.
Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater Raritan) led the Hawks with a 2-for-3 day at the plate with a two-out RBI single in the second. Owen Stewart (Howell, N.J./St. Rose) led off the second with a single and scored on the Guida base hit. Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic), Joe Bamford (Washington, N.J./Warren Hills Regional [Northampton C.C.]) and Robbie Alessandrine (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) also added hits for Monmouth. Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) hurled a complete game, allowing seven runs, six earned, on 10 hits without walking a batter. He struck out one.
Dave Boisture and Jayson Sullivan led Sacred Heart with two hits apiece, while Rocco Gondek had an RBI hit-by-pitch and a two-run home run for a team-high three RBI's. Troy Scribner got the complete-game victory, allowing one earned run on six hits and a walk, while striking out 10.
The Hawks plated a run in the second, when Stewart singled to center, moved to second on a Bamford sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Guida singled through the left side to bring Stewart in from second.
Sacred Heart responded with a five-run outburst in the bottom of the second. The first run came across as Gondek leaned into a 2-1 offering from McGee with the bases loaded. A fielder's choice and a single scored the next two runs, before a throwing error by Guida on a would-be double play plated the fourth Pioneer run. John Murphy rounded out the scoring with an RBI single.
The Pioneers added a pair of insurance runs in the eight on Gondek's two-out, two-run home run. Scribner faced the minimum in the top of the ninth, inducing a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.
