RIVERDALE, N.Y.– T.J. Hunt (Wyckoff, N.J./Ramapo) tossed a complete game shutout in the second game of the doubleheader at Manhattan on Saturday afternoon at Van Cortlandt Park to earn Monmouth a split on the day. The Hawks dropped the opener, 5-4 in 11 innings before winning the second game, 6-0. MU is now 9-16 overall and 5-4 in league play, while the Jaspers move to 6-23 on the year, 3-8 in the MAAC.
Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) tossed six innings in the first game, allowing two runs on six hits. Stephen Frey (Washingtonville, N.Y./Washingtonville) tossed two scoreless innings in relief for Monmouth. Joey Rocchietti started the first game for Manhattan, going eight innings and surrendering three runs, two earned on seven hits. Joe Jacques went three in relief and allowed just an unearned run to get the win for the Jaspers. Craig Sweeney (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) had three hits for the Blue and White in the losing effort, and Jose Carrera had a four-hit game for Manhattan
Hunt was the Game Two winner for MU, allowing just four hits in the seven inning complete game shutout. He defeated Michael Martin of the Jaspers, who allowed two of the runs in the sixth to get the loss for Manhattan. Danny Avella (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) had two hits and three runs batted in on the game for the Hawks.
The first game was scoreless until the fourth, when Grant Lamberton (Newark, Del./Salesianum) reached on a throwing error by the shortstop Carrera. Two batters later, Jon Guida (Martinsville, N.J./Bridgewater-Raritan) went back through the box with a single to give Monmouth the 1-0 lead. It didn't take long for the Jaspers to respond, tying the game on Joe McClennan's RBI hit in the bottom of the inning. Manhattan took a brief lead in the bottom of the fifth when Carrera doubled and Chris Kalousdian singled him home.
Monmouth tied the game on the first pitch of the top of the sixth, when Avella blasted his first home run of the season over the right field fall. After a walk, a hit by pitch and a single, Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) drove a sacrifice fly to center to put MU up 3-2. The score would remain there until the seventh, and with Anthony Ciavarella (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) relieving McGee, Manhattan put together two singles and a hit by pitch before a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jason Patnick tied things at three apiece. That score would hold through the end of nine, and the teams would head to extras in the series opener.
In the top of the 11th, the Hawks snagged the lead with the help of a throwing error and a walk, with a base hit from Sweeney in between. Lamberton pushed an infield hit to third and Joe Bamford (Washington, N.J./Northampton C.C./Warren Hills Regional) came in to score to give MU the lead in extra frames. Manhattan would chase Frank Trimarco (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) from the game with a one out single in the bottom of the inning, and Jeff Paglione (Mantua, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) came in and allowed a double to Carrera. After loading the bases with a walk, Patnick was hit by a pitch to tie the game at four. The next batter was Christian Santisteban, and he lined a single to left center to chase home the winning run, and Manhattan took the opener in 11 innings, 5-4.
The second game was a pitcher's duel for the first five innings, with each team going scoreless and only totaling six hits in the five innings of the seven-inning affair. Monmouth busted through in the sixth, beginning with Bamford getting aboard on a muffed throw by pitcher Shawn Kanwisher. Jake Gronsky (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) followed with a single to right center, and Sweeney's walk filled the bases. Avella came through with a big hit for MU, a two-run single to left center to put the Hawks out front, 2-0. With two out in the inning, Connor White (Wall, N.J./Wall) knocked in his first run of the year and plated an important insurance run, and after White stole second, Wilgus singled him around and it was 4-0 Hawks.
In the seventh, the Hawks strung together four consecutive singles, and Sweeney's and Avella's both scored runs to give MU a 6-0 lead. That was more than enough for Hunt, who finished the seventh unscathed and won the nightcap for Monmouth with his second complete game of the season.
The series wraps up tomorrow with a noon first pitch for the final nine-inning game of the weekend at Van Cortlandt Park.
