WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Monmouth offense exploded for fourteen runs on Wednesday afternoon as the Hawks beat Princeton 14-1 at the MU Baseball Field. MU pitching only allowed one run on four hits as well, as MU improved to 8-14 while Princeton fell to 5-21.
“It was good to see our offense break out,” said Head Coach Dean Ehehalt. “We needed a game like that, Steve WIlgus is continuing to step up and the middle of our order really did some good things today.”
Shaine Hughes (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) drove in four for Monmouth on a three-for-four afternoon, while Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) hit a three-run home run and Sean Arnott (Brielle, N.J./Christian Brothers Academy/Temple) added his first career long ball. Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) had two hits and two RBI's as well. Billy Arendt added a solo home run for Princeton.
Frank Trimarco (Merrick, N.Y./Sanford H. Calhoun) picked up his second win of the season after tossing five shutout innings, giving up just two hits and striking out seven. Ricky Dennis (Warrington, Pa./Central Bucks South) threw three innings of effective relief, allowing just a run on two hits, and Jeff Paglione (Mantua, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) posted a spotless ninth. Princeton starter Chris Giglio got the loss, allowing three runs, two earned, on two hits through three.
MU got a run without a hit to take a 1-0 second inning lead, earning four walks in the inning with the final one being issued to Christian Holland (Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin) to force in a run. Gaetano got Monmouth's first hit in the third, narrowly missing an opposite field home run as he put a double off the left field wall. Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) slid an RBI single through the left side, and after stealing a base and going to third on an errant pickoff attempt, scored on Ryan Bailey's (Mount Kisco, N.Y./Fox Lane) sacrifice fly.
“Frank set the tone early today,” added Ehehalt. “I think lost in the offensive production today was great pitching, and hopefully we can rally around this and springboard our offense and collect some momentum moving forward into the weekend.”
The Hawks plated two more in the fourth, both brought home when Hughes looped a two-run single to left center over the head of the shortstop. Another run was tacked on in the sixth, with Wilgus ripping a triple into the right field corner leading off. Hughes piled on another RBI with a single to right, giving Monmouth a 6-0 advantage.
MU broke the game open in the seventh, with Justin Trochiano (Morganville, N.J./Marlboro) singling and Holland drawing a walk. Hughes drove in his fourth run of the day with a single to left ahead of Gaetano lining his third home run of the season down the right field line, a three-run blast to give Monmouth a 10-0 lead.
After Arendt took Dennis deep with two down in the eighth to score Princeton's lone run, the Hawks again put up a four-spot in the eighth. Arnott pinch hit to lead the inning off and drove a solo home run to straightaway left field, and after Brad Rhoads (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) walked and Trochiano reached on an error, Wilgus drove home both with a base hit. Perry walked with the bases loaded to bring in the 14th and final run of the day, and Paglione did not allow a baserunner in the ninth to give MU the 14-1 win.
The Hawks head to New Rochelle, N.Y. this weekend for a three-game set with Iona, beginning Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at noon. For all info on Monmouth Baseball, follow @MUHawksBaseball on Twitter.
