CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA– Frank Trimarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) allowed just one hit through his first five and Monmouth tied the game in the sixth but the Hawks were edged by Virginia, 4-2 Friday afternoon in Charlottesville, VA. MU drops to 2-6 while the Cavaliers improve to 6-3 this season.
Shaine Hughes (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) singled in the sixth and went to second on a failed pickoff attempt. Dan Shea (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum) drew a walk and Christian Holland (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin) moved both runners up with a ground out. Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, PA/Scranton Preparatory) singled home the tying run to make it 1-1 in the sixth.
Pavin Smith hit a sacrifice fly and Daniel Pinero drove in a run with a base hit in the last of the sixth to put the Cavaliers up 3-1. A line drive sac fly from Ernie Clement made it 4-1 Virginia in the seventh before MU battled back with an eighth inning run. Hughes and Shea both singled, and Holland drove home Hughes with a sacrifice fly to cut it to 4-2. MU could not plate another run and fell on the road by that 4-2 count.
Catcher Matt Thaiss started the scoring in the fourth with a solo home run for Virginia, making it 1-0. That was the only hit Trimarco would allow through the first five, working 6.1 innings and fanning five while allowing four runs, three earned, on six hits. Kyle Ajjan (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East) worked 1.2 scoreless out of the bullpen, and Hughes and Shea contributed two hits apiece.
Trimarco took the loss while Connor Jones got the win for Virginia, allowing two runs in 6.1 innings. Andy Weber had two hits for UVa.
The teams are back in action in Charlottesville tomorrow at 1:00 p.m.
