PHILADELPHIA, Pa.- The Monmouth baseball team fell to Saint Joseph's in a rain-shortened game on Wednesday afternoon at Smithson Field, 14-4. The game was called during the bottom of the fifth, with no outs.The Hawks drop to 3-10 with the loss, while St. Joe's improves to 8-6.
Jeff Singer (Riverton, N.J./Gloucester C.C./Holy Cross) started for MU, working three innings and allowing eleven runs. Charlie Battis (Hamilton, N.J./Notre Dame) made his season debut in relief, and allowed three runs in 1.1 innings. Harry Paytas (Sea Girt, N.J./Wall) also made his collegiate debut, working in the bottom of the fifth before the game was stopped due to weather. Five St. Joe's pitchers combined to throw the first five frames. Jake Gronsky (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) and Craig Sweeney (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) each added two hits.
St. Joe's put up nine runs in the bottom of the first, started by Collin Forgey's RBI double to left-center. Two batters later, Mike Muha dropped a single into right to score another run, and Kevin Kratochwill singled home two more on a hit to left. Taylor Boyd followed with a three-run homer to left field, and Brian O'Keefe also homered two batters later, a two-run shot to give Saint Joseph's a 9-0 lead after one.
MU rallied to get four runs back in the top of the third, when Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) reached on a fielding error by the first baseman. After moving over on successive wild pitches, Gronsky lined a single back through the box to score Wilgus. After Danny Avella (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) walked, Sweeney hit one to straightaway center field for a run-scoring double. A wild pitch scored Avella and moved Sweeney to third, and after Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) walked, another wild pitch brought home Sweeney, making it 9-4.
In the bottom of the third, O'Keefe hit his second home run of the game to left, a two-run shot to give SJU an 11-4 advantage. The home team added three runs on Chris Hueth's double down the left field line with the bases loaded, clearing the bases and making it 14-4. The game was halted in the bottom of the fifth during the St. Joe's at bat as a result of the rain.
MU returns to action tomorrow afternoon against Towson at noon. The game will be played at Harford Community College.
