HAMDEN, CT – Frank Trimarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) threw a complete game two-hit shutout, walking one and striking out 10 to propel the Monmouth baseball team to a series opening win at Quinnipiac Friday, 4-0. The Hawks improve to 21-20 and 11-5 in league, while the Bobcats drop to 6-7 in conference and 17-24 overall.
"It was a very good effort from our team today," said head coach Dean Ehehalt. "Frank Trimarco was outstanding, especially pitching out of trouble in the sixth. He gave us what we needed and our young guys played well."
The Hawks scored four for Trimarco, all the southpaw would need. The first came in the second, when Ryan Bailey (Mount Kisco, NY/Fox Lane) lined his first of three hits on the day to left leading off and Pete Papcun (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) tucked a double inside the line to make it second and third with no outs. After Bailey was cut down at the plate, Justin Trochiano (Morganville, NJ/Marlboro) dropped a double inside the right field line to make it 1-0.
The Blue and White added three in the third, with Cary Jacobson (Los Angeles, CA/Palisades) scorching a single up the middle leading off. Dan Shea (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum) walked, and both moved up on a wild pitch with nobody out. Bailey lined a double to the left field corner to score a run, and Papcun brought home a second on a ground out to short. Aidan Favia (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn) capped the scoring with a base hit through the right side to make it 4-0.
Trimarco struck out 10, and set down the side in order on strikes twice, doing so in the third and the eighth to the same trio both times. He did not allow a hit until there was one out in the fifth, a Matthew Oestreicher blooper to center. The only other QU hit was Matthew Payero's infield hit to the right side in the sixth before Trimarco set down the final 12 in order.
Bailey led MU with three hits and two doubles, while Papcun and Jordan McCrum (Dallas, PA/Dallas Senior) added two hits each. Thomas Jankins took the loss for QU allowing four runs on 10 hits with six strikeouts in eight innings.
The teams wrap up the weekend set with a doubleheader tomorrow at noon in Hamden.
