PRINCETON, NJ – Monmouth University's baseball team scored in six different innings and got strong pitching from a trio of underclassmen in defeating Princeton on Wednesday afternoon, 7-3 at Clarke Field. MU improves to 15-13 with the win and have won three in a row and nine of 11, while the Tigers drop to 11-11 on the year.
“It was a solid team win,” said head coach Dean Ehehalt. “It was not pretty but we got the win. Tyler Ksiazek didn't have his best stuff but battled, pitched out of some jams and gave us a chance to win. Kyle Ajjan threw well in the middle of the game and provided us an opportunity to relax and Mike Brambilla was able to close it out.”
The Blue and White scored five of the final six runs of the game, beginning in the sixth when Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, PA/Scranton Preparatory) stole home to put the Hawks up 3-2. Aidan Favia (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn) scored on an error after singling in the seventh to make it 4-2, and the Hawks added a pair in the eighth to go up four. Ryan Crowley (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY/Iona Preparatory) started that rally with a double, and Koniencki continued it with a base hit to left. Crowley scored when Alessandrine reached again on an error, and Favia capped the inning with a sac fly.
Dan Shea (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum) doubled off the wall in left to make it 7-2, and the Tigers added a run in the ninth on Danny Hoy's RBI single.
The game was tied at two after four innings, with Princeton taking a 1-0 lead in the first after a double from Danny Hoy and an RBI single from Nick Hernandez. MU tied it in the next half inning when freshman Clay Koniencki (Schwenksville, PA/Malvern Prep) doubled down the left field line with two down. Robbie Alessandrine (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) followed with a bunt that was thrown away, allowing Koniencki to tie the game.
The Hawks took a fourth inning lead when Cary Jacobson (Los Angeles, CA/Palisades) manufactured a run after beating out an infield single leading off. He swiped second, went to third on a ground out and scored on Christian Holland (Pittsburgh, PA/Baldwin)'s run-scoring single. The Tigers answered to tie it in the bottom half on Cody Phillips' sacrifice fly.
Tyler Ksiazek (South Abington Township, PA/Abington Heights) started and allowed two runs, one earned in four innings with three strikeouts. Kyle Ajjan (Chester Springs, PA/Downingtown East) earned the win with three one-hit innings, and Mike Brambilla (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill East) threw two strong innings to close it out. Jacobson and Koniencki each had two hits for MU.
Tanner Kliewer allowed two runs in four innings and took the loss for Princeton, while Hoy notched two hits for the Tigers.
The Hawks head to Jersey City, NJ this weekend for a three-game conference set with Saint Peter's beginning with a Saturday twinbill beginning at noon.
