RICHMOND, Va. – Frank Trimarco (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) threw seven shutout innings and the offense put up a five-run opening inning as the Monmouth University baseball team shut out VCU for the second time in five days, 7-0 on Tuesday evening. Grant Lamberton (Newark, Del./Salesianum) and Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) combined to drive in six runs as the Hawks moved to 3-10, while the Rams fell to 9-9.
“We came out with great energy,” said Head Coach Dean Ehehalt. “Trimarco really competed, and the five in the first got us going right away. Our team played with a lot of composure as well.”
Trimarco worked seven scoreless, striking out seven and walking one while allowing seven hits. Justin Andrews (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) relieved him and added two more shutout frames, fanning one. Four Hawks had multi-hit days, led by Gaetano, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI's and a run scored. Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) was 2-for-5 with a run scored and a run driven in, and Cary Jacobson (Los Angeles, Calif./Palisades) went a perfect 3-for-3 with a walk. Freshman Justin Trochiano (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro) contributed with a 2-for-2 performance off the bench.
Sean Thompson lasted just 3.1 innings for VCU, surrendering six runs, five earned, on four hits with five strikeouts. Thomas Gill gave up the other run in his 3.1 frames, and two more Rams out of the bullpen held MU off the board the rest of the way. James Bunn had a pair of hits for the home team.
Monmouth jumped out quickly with Wilgus as the catalyst with a base hit and a steal of second. Shaine Hughes (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) was hit by a pitch to set up Gaetano for a two-run double down the right field line to get things started. With Gaetano at second, Dave Moreno (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) and Jacobson walked to fill the bases. Lamberton delivered the big blow, a bases-clearing three-run double to left center to put Monmouth up 5-0 before taking the field.
Sloppy defense from VCU helped the Hawks add a fourth inning tally, with Jacobson igniting the stanza with a single to center. Lamberton reached on a throwing error that moved Jacobson to third. After Jacobson was cut down at the plate on Robbie Alessandrine's (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) fielder's choice, Wilgus put a single back through the middle to score Lamberton and make it 6-0 Hawks.
Gaetano added to his strong afternoon with an RBI double in the seventh behind a Trochiano base hit, giving MU its seventh and final run. Andrews did not allow a runner past first base to nail down Monmouth's third win in four games and second shut out of VCU in less than a week.
The Hawks are back on the diamond tomorrow afternoon with a 3:00 p.m. first pitch set at Saint Joseph's in Philadelphia, Pa. For all information on MU baseball, follow @MUHawksBaseball on Twitter.
