FAIRFIELD, Conn.– The Monmouth University baseball team scored three first inning runs, but Fairfield scored six in the sixth en route to beating MU by a 10-3 count on Friday morning at Alumni Diamond. MU drops to one game under .500 in MAAC play at 5-6 and are now 10-18 overall, while Fairfield improves to 19-14, 9-3 in the league.
Andrew McGee (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) was handed his fifth loss of the year, going 5.1 innings and allowing seven runs, six earned on ten hits. Ricky Dennis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) added a scoreless inning in relief for MU, and Harry Paytas (Sea Girt, N.J./Wall) allowed a run on three hits in the eighth. Aaron Howell worked seven innings for the Stags, surrendering three runs on ten hits and earning his second win of the season. Andrew Gallagher and Tucker Panciera tossed a pair of shutout relief innings for Fairfield.
Grant Lamberton (Newark, Del./Salesianum) notched his second consecutive three-hit game, and Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) added three hits also, including two doubles. Jake Salpietro went 3-for-5 with three runs driven in for the Stags, and Alex Witkus added a 3-for-4 day.
Monmouth got on the board early, plating three runs in the top of the first. Lamberton doubled with one out, and Jake Gronsky (Danville, Pa./Danville Area) singled him over to third. Craig Sweeney (Middletown, N.J./Middletown South) continued to swing the bat well, hitting an RBI double down the left field line to stake MU to a 1-0 lead. Danny Avella (Matawan, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy) singled up the middle to score another run, and Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) drove in his first collegiate run with a sacrifice fly to center, and Monmouth led 3-0 after the top of the first.
Fairfield got a pair back in the fourth, when Rob LoPinto hit a one-out double and after a walk, Billy Zolga drove in both runs with a triple to center. The Stags tied the game in the fifth when Witkus manufactured a run for the home team by reaching on an error, stealing second, moving to third on a fly out and scoring on a passed ball.
A six-run sixth inning started with a leadoff walk to Jack Giannini. A pair of infield singles from Zolga and Sal Ciccone loaded the bases ahead of Dean Sadik, who gave Fairfield a 5-3 lead with a two-run single to left. That was the last batter McGee would face, as Frank Trimarco (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) entered with one out in the inning. After getting an out, Ryan Plourde pushed a single through the left side to plate two more and make it a 7-3 game in favor of the Stags. With Plourde at first, Salpietro hit a two-run home run to left to give the Stags a six-run frame and a 9-3 lead.
MU loaded the bases in the top of the eighth but could not score, and Fairfield added a run in the bottom of the eighth on a Salpietro run-scoring double to put the score at 10-3, where it would stay.
The teams return to the field tomorrow afternoon for a doubleheader at Alumni Diamond beginning at noon.
