GREENVILLE, N.C.– The Monmouth University baseball team dropped both games of a doubleheader Saturday at East Carolina, falling 2-0 in the first game and 9-0 in game two. The losses drop Monmouth to 0-8 this season, while ECU improves to 8-5.
Monmouth's opening game starter, Chris McKenna (Pine Beach, N.J./Toms River South), tossed 7.1 scoreless innings before surrendering a pair in the eighth to take the loss. Travis Watkins had a pair of hits for ECU, while Pirates starter Evan Kruczynski threw a complete game shutout, striking out seven to earn the win.
The second game saw ECU post six runs in the first and not look back en route to a 9-0 win behind starter Jacob Wolfe, who allowed three hits and no runs through six. Three ECU relievers kept MU off the board the rest of the way to give Wolfe his first win of the season. Frank Trimarco (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) got the loss for Monmouth, allowing six runs on seven hits in the first inning. Justin Andrews (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy) fired off three shutout innings in relief for MU, while Ricky Dennis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) added a scoreless frame as well. Eric Tyler had three hits and three runs scored for the Pirates, while Jackson Mims had three hits of his own.
A pitching duel in the first game saw no runs scored for the opening seven innings from either side, with only one inning per side that saw a team strand multiple baserunners. ECU finally broke through against McKenna in the eighth, when Tyler singled with one out. Parker Lamm came on to pinch run, and Bryce Harman singled to left. Lamm went to third on the play, and scored on a throwing error. Two batters later, Garrett Brooks plated a run on a fielder's choice and that's all ECU would need, taking the opener 2-0.
East Carolina jumped out quickly in the second game, scoring six runs in the first inning. Reid Love homered leading off, and Watkins followed with an RBI single after back-to-back base hits. Mims, Brooks, and Charlie Yorgen all added run-scoring hits in the inning that saw ECU score six on seven hits.
Harman added another run via a base hit in the second to extend the lead to 7-0. The Pirates would tack on a pair of unearned runs in the fourth to wrap up the scoring for the day. Justin Trochiano (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro) picked up his first career hit in the third for Monmouth, an infield single.
The teams wrap up play tomorrow at 1:00 p.m. in Greenville, N.C.
