WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ- Monmouth rallied to tie the game in the ninth before winning in the 11^th to split a doubleheader and take a MAAC series from Niagara Sunday, winning the nightcap 6-5 after dropping the opener 6-4.

Monmouth loaded the bases in the 11^th after Aidan Favia (Short Hills, NJ/Millburn) was hit by a pitch, Grant Lamberton (Newark, DE/Salesianum) singled and Shaine Hughes (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) was intentionally walked before Dan Shea (Wilmington, DE/Salesianum) drew a full-count walk to win the game.

After Niagara broke a tie in the top of the ninth on Peter Battaglia's two-run single, MU battled back in the bottom half with a walk and a hit by pitch before a sacrifice bunt made it second and third with one away. After a strikeout, Favia hit a ground ball to shortstop that was thrown low to first, enabling both runs to come around and tie the game.

MU jumped to a 3-0 lead in the contest on a two-run homer by Pete Papcun (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) and another RBI single from Papcun in the third before a three-run fifth tied things for Niagara.

In the opener, MU took a 1-0 lead when Tom Jakubowski (West Deptford, NJ/West Deptford/Long Island) stole home as part of a double steal in the second, but Niagara went in front in the third on a bases loaded walk and a sacrifice fly. Papcun singled in a run in the third to get things back square before the Purple Eagles exploded for a four-run fourth. Darian Blanks drove in a run with a double down the line, and later scored on an error and a Battaglia sacrifice fly.

Jakubowski lined a home run into right field in the fifth to get MU within two, the closest the Hawks would get in a 6-4 defeat.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"We've got some toughness to us, our grit showed and we fought until the last out in the first game and in the second game, we were able to take advantage of a mistake in a good 11^th inning offensively and manufacture a run." – head coach Dean Ehehalt

"Joe Molettiere is one of those guys who is a rhythm pitcher and competes and he got into a rhythm and the game settled down. The out Mike Brambilla got in the sixth was a huge out in the game." – Ehehalt on the MU bullpen

-Monmouth takes their second MAAC series of the season.
-Shaine Hughes played three positions in game two (1B, 3B, SS).
-Joe Molettiere earned his second win after getting a save in the first game of the series, firing five innings in relief with four strikeouts.
-Pete Papcun drove in three runs in game two, and was one of three Hawks with two hits.
-Tom Jakubowski hit his career-high sixth home run of the season, and is now tied for the team lead.
-MU posted their second walk-off win in four games.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth pitching held Niagara off the board in 14 of 18 innings.
-Counsellor totaled 2.2 shutout innings on the day.
-Justin Andrews fired three shutout innings in game one, striking out two.
-Austin Counsellor and Mike Brambilla combined for two scoreless frames, allowing just one hit.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth has a home-and-home doubleheader against NYIT next weekend, with the home set coming on Sunday.