BOCA RATON, Fla.– Despite holding the lead at the conclusion of six innings, the Monmouth baseball team dropped the series opening contest at Florida Atlantic on Friday night, 9-5 at FAU Baseball Park. The Owls scored runs in their final three at-bats to take the first game of the weekend set. Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) had three hits and two RBI's for MU, and Chris McKenna (Pine Beach, N.J./Toms River South) allowed just three hits in his five innings of work. Monmouth falls to 0-4 in 2015, while FAU improves to 7-2.
McKenna worked into the sixth inning after getting the nod for Monmouth, allowing three runs, two earned, on three hits, fanning three. Kyle Miller allowed all five MU runs after starting for Florida Atlantic, working 3.2 frames and giving up the five runs, four earned, on six hits, while striking out four. Five FAU relievers combined to throw 5.1 scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk while recording eight strikeouts.
The Hawks were paced offensively by Wilgus, who went three-for-five with two RBI's and a run scored out of the leadoff spot. Catcher Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) hit a pair of doubles, and Adam Yunginger (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) went two-for-three with an RBI, his first career run driven in. Stephen Kerr went three-for-five with two runs scored as the FAU leadoff hitter, and Roman Collins drove home three Owls on the night. Christian Dicks had two hits and two RBI's for the home team.
MU struck early when Wilgus reached on an infield single to the right side and Perry immediately followed with an RBI double to left center. Two batters later, Dave Moreno (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) hit a ball well towards the left side that was booted into left field and ruled an error, enabling Perry to score to give Monmouth a 2-0 lead in the first.
A walk in the first was McKenna's only blemish until the third, when FAU got a run back with consecutive hits with two down. Kerr doubled to center, and Brett Lashley brought him around with a base hit to slice the MU lead to 2-1.
The Hawks immediately responded with a three-run third, sparked by Dan Shea (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) being hit by a pitch leading off. Moreno followed with a double the opposite way ahead of Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) also drawing a hit by pitch to fill the bases with nobody out. Yunginger singled back to the pitcher to bring in the first run, and two batters later, Wilgus came through with a two-run single through the right side to push Monmouth's lead to 5-1.
McKenna put just one runner on base between the fourth and the fifth, and found himself in his first real trouble in the sixth. After surrendering a leadoff walk to Lashley and a double to Brendon Sanger, McKenna was relieved by Frank Trimarco (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun). After getting a strike out, Collins placed a two-run double into center to make the score 5-3 Monmouth.
Perry led off the seventh with a double and went to third on a wild pitch with no outs, but MU couldn't bring him home and FAU took advantage in the bottom of the frame. Ryan Miller drew a leadoff base on balls, and Dicks brought him home on a double to left center to bring FAU within one. Dicks was cut down at third trying to stretch it to a triple, but Kerr followed with an infield single. Sanger tied the game with a double before Jeff Paglione (Mantua, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) came on for MU. Sanger scored on a balk to put FAU in front and Ricky Santiago pushed an infield single before Collins brought him home to make it 7-5 Owls.
Monmouth put two runners on in the eighth but could not score, and FAU added a pair in the bottom of the inning via a Dicks RBI single and a Kerr single that ultimately scored a run, though Kerr was cut down at second on the play. FAU reliever Bo Logan allowed a baserunner in the ninth but that was all as FAU took the series opener, 9-5.
The weekend set continues tomorrow in Boca Raton, with first pitch tabbed for 4:00 p.m.
