WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J.- Monmouth scored in the first seven innings of the game, and every Hawk in the starting lineup had a hit as the MU baseball team swept a three-game series from Saint Peter's, taking the Sunday afternoon game 17-6. MU racked up 19 hits on the day to move to 21-20, 13-8 in conference. The Peacocks fall to 9-35-1, 6-15 in the league. With the win, Monmouth clinches a spot in the 2015 MAAC Tournament.
“It was a good day for our seniors,” said Head Coach Dean Ehehalt. “We were able to do some good things offensively, with Moreno and Yunginger giving us a boost at the bottom of the order.”
Steve Wilgus (Woolwich, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) manufactured a first inning run by doubling to right, moving to third on a fly out and scoring on a wild pitch. In the second, Adam Yunginger (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) hit a ground-rule double to right center and came around to score when Dave Moreno (Voorhees, N.J./Eastern Regional) lined a single to left that was mishandled, allowing Yunginger to come home.
After Jon Kristoffersen doubled home a run for SPU in the third to cut the lead to 2-1, MU answered with one in the bottom of the inning when Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, Pa./Scranton Preparatory) and Kyle Perry (Toms River, N.J./Toms River South) both singled. With Dan Shea (Wilmington, Del./Salesianum) batting, a wild pitch allowed the runners to move up and as Gaetano neared third, the throw sailed into left field allowing him to score.
On the first pitch of the top of the fourth, Yunginger lifted a towering fly ball to right that cleared the fence for his first career home run, a solo shot to put the Hawks up 4-1. Monmouth got two more in the fifth, started when Perry lined a ground rule double off the warning track in left center following a Shaine Hughes (Sewell, N.J./Washington Township) walk. Shea tucked a two-run double inside the first base bag to give the Hawks a 6-1 advantage.
Monmouth opened the game up with four in the sixth, getting consecutive singles from Robbie Alessandrine (Sewell, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) and Grant Lamberton (Newark, Del./Salesianum) followed by a Wilgus walk. Hughes ripped a double to straightaway center that landed at the base of the fence to score two, and Gaetano followed that with a sacrifice fly to left. Perry then sent another ball to the warning track, a double to score the fourth run of the inning and give Monmouth a 10-1 cushion.
SPU scored a pair in the 7th, getting one when Michael Ionta lined a ball off Chris McKenna (Pine Beach, N.J./Toms River South)'s foot and another on a double play ball.
MU responded with seven in the seventh, all coming with two outs. Alessandrine again singled to right, and Lamberton and Hughes walked. Gaetano lined a two-run single to right center, and Perry hit a floater that landed near second base for an infield hit and an RBI. Yunginger later added an RBI single before the big blow came from Moreno, lining a three-run double up the gap in left center to cap off the seven-run frame.
Senior Matt Reynolds (Hackettstown, N.J./Hackettstown) came on to pitch the ninth inning in his first appearance since 2013. He got Nick Cardamone to fly out to center before being relieved by fellow senior Charlie Battis (Hamilton, N.J./Notre Dame). Battis allowed a three-run homer to Jon Kristoffersen before getting Zach Rawson to hit into a double play to end the game.
Anthony Ciavarella (Phillipsburg, N.J./Phillipsburg) got the win for Monmouth, working five innings and allowing a run on four hits with four strikeouts. McKenna worked two frames, and Jeff Paglione (Mantua, N.J./Gloucester Catholic) threw a scoreless eighth before Reynolds and Battis combined on the ninth.
Offensively for MU, every starter had a hit, led by Perry who was 4-for-5 with two RBI's and two runs scored. Yunginger went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and two RBI's, while Gaetano was 3-for-4 with three RBI's and two runs scored. Alessandrine also added three hits, while Moreno had two hits and three runs batted in.
Anthony Assante took the loss for SPU, while Kristoffersen and Ionta added three hits apiece.
“We're continuing to get better,” added Ehehalt. “Next week is going to be a big test for us, and we look forward to it.”
Monmouth is back on the diamond on Thursday for a critical conference matchup with in-state rival Rider. First pitch is at noon in Lawrenceville, N.J.
