CARY, NC – Kyle Norman (Ellicott City, MD/Good Counsel) went 5-for-6 with four extra base hits and six RBI's, and Pete Papcun (Brick, NJ/Christian Brothers Academy) drove in four with three doubles as the Monmouth Baseball team broke out to score 17 runs in a 17-5 win over UMBC Sunday. The Blue and White wrap up the weekend in Cary with two wins after four players recorded multiple hits Sunday.

Shaine Hughes (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) started the afternoon with a solo homer before Papcun's first double made it 2-0 Hawks. Norman doubled in a pair in the second to jumpstart MU to a 4-0 lead, but AJ Wright hit a three-run homer to get UMBC back within one in the fourth after Dan Klepchick (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) retired the first nine.

It was all Monmouth following Wright's home run, as Norman and Papcun extended the lead by combining to drive in three in the fourth. Norman, Hughes, and Papcun all notched run-scoring hits in a four-run Monmouth sixth, as did freshman Ryan Steckline (Newark, DE/Appoquinimink) as the Hawks led 11-3 after six.

UMBC hit two solo home runs in the seventh before Norman and Steckline each doubled home runs in the seventh, with Johnny Zega (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) reached on an error that scored three runs. Monmouth's scoring for the day was capped by Norman's eighth inning RBI triple.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"It was nice to get on the board early today.  The four early allowed us to relax a little and then put the game away later with some timely hitting. Klepchick showed some real positives today and pounded the strike zone. The top of our order was extremely productive; Kyle had a big day, Shaine and Pete also got some big RBI's. All in all a very positive weekend." – Dean Ehehalt

-Monmouth's 17 runs are the most since scoring 17 at Columbia on 4/11/17.
-Dan Klepchick earned his first collegiate win.
-Kyle Norman finishes the weekend in Cary with eight hits and seven runs batted in.
-Pete Papcun concludes the weekend with seven hits and six RBI's.
-Papcun and Norman both doubled three times in the game, combining to drive in 10 runs.
-Shaine Hughes lifted his first home run of the season.
-Monmouth doubled seven times for the first time since May 6, 2017 at Fairfield.
-MU pitching walked just four batters all weekend.
-Monmouth did not walk a single batter, marking the first nine-inning game MU has won without walking an opponent since April 4, 2015 against Quinnipiac.
-Danny Long was hit by two pitches.
-Ryan Steckline drove in his first two collegiate runs.
-After an error, Tyler Ksiazek struck out the side in the eighth inning.
-Steckline pitched the ninth inning and now has six strikeouts in three collegiate innings.
-Monmouth wins its second in a row, and is now 2-0 against unranked opponents this season.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth outhit UMBC 13-5.
-The Hawks got scoreless innings from Steckline and Ksiazek.
-Klepchick earned his first career win, allowing five runs on five hits through seven innings.
-The Hawks posted nine extra base hits on the game.
-Monmouth improves to 2-4, while UMBC falls to 1-2.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth opens a three-game series at George Washington Friday at 2:30 p.m.