WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Ricky Dennis (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) and Justin Andrews (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) combined for a four-hit shutout in the second game of the doubleheader as Monmouth baseball (27-23, 16-7 MAAC) beat Fairfield (25-22, 14-6 MAAC) 1-0 after dropping the opener 9-6.
"It was a great team win in Game 2," said head coach Dean Ehehalt. "Gutsy performance in relief from Justin Andrews as well as our defensive execution. Pete Papcun got us started with a big two strike at bat and Ryan Bailey followed it up with a clutch RBI."
After Dennis and Gavin Wallace traded zeroes for four innings, Monmouth got on the board in the fifth. Pete Papcun (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) one-hopped a double off the left field wall, and he was replaced by pinch runner Ryan Crowley (Cornwall-on-Hudson, NY/Iona Preparatory). Crowley moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored the game's lone run on Ryan Bailey (Mount Kisco, NY/Fox Lane)'s single to left center.
Andrews came on with runners on first and second and nobody out in the sixth and popped up a bunt before getting two fly outs to end the threat. In the seventh, Andrews walked the leadoff man but made a good play on a bunt to retire the lead runner for the first out. He promptly picked the runner off first and got a fly ball to center to end the game and record his league-leading sixth save of the season.
Dennis picked up his eighth win, the most for a Hawk since Andrew McGee had eight in 2013.
The Stags jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first inning of the first game, getting a Kevin Radziewicz RBI single and a two-run double from Mac Crispino into the gap in left center to take the early advantage. MU starter Frank Trimarco (Merrick, NY/Sanford H. Calhoun) settled in after that, keeping Fairfield off the board for four straight innings and allowing the Hawks to tie the game.
MU got one run back in the second when Bailey doubled off the top of the right field wall with one down. Justin Trochiano (Morganville, NJ/Marlboro) lined a single over shortstop to cut it to 3-1.
The Hawks tied it in the fourth with a pair, when Papcun and Bailey singled and Aidan Favia (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn) bunted them over to make it second and third. Papcun came home on a wild pitch, and Trochiano lined a double into left center to tie the game.
Brendan Tracy hit a two-run homer in the sixth to put the Stags back up 5-3, and Radziewicz made it 7-3 with a double that just dropped inside the left field line in the seventh. MU cut it to 7-6 in the home seventh, getting a two-run double to right from Robbie Alessandrine (Sewell, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and an RBI single from Papcun to trim it to one.
Michael Conti hit a two-run homer in the ninth to make it 9-6, the eventual final for the opening game. Trimarco struck out seven but took the loss, and Mike Bonaiuto got the win with 2.2 relief innings. Bailey and Chris Gaetano (Madison Township, PA/Scranton Preparatory) each had three hits.
The teams conclude the series with a noon first pitch tomorrow on ESPN3 in West Long Branch. With a win, Monmouth will clinch the top seed in the conference tournament and a MAAC regular season title.
