WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth pitching struck out 22 batters on the afternoon, and Johnny Zega (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) hit a walk-off double in the nightcap as Monmouth swept a doubleheader Saturday. MU topped Maine in the opener 7-3 before beating Sacred Heart in the final game of the weekend, 3-2 in 10 innings.

A pitcher's duel throughout, Dan Klepchick (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) and Sacred Heart's Brent Teller matched zeroes for the better half of the game. Klepchick became the first Hawk to pitch into the eighth inning this year, and struck out nine. Monmouth had opportunities in the eighth and ninth innings with runners in scoring position, but SHU reliever Cooper Thompson worked out of trouble both times. In the 10^th, Kyle Norman (Ellicott City, MD/Good Counsel/Buffalo) led off with a base hit to left before Zega ripped a double into the gap to win the game for MU in walk-off fashion.

Earlier in the game, SHU got on the board with an unearned run in the second on a ground out. John LaRocca (Plainview, NY/St. Dominic) answered with an RBI single in the third, and MU took the lead as JD Andreessen (Depew, NY/Lancaster/Campbell) built on his big day with an RBI double off the warning track in left. Dan Schock got the Pioneers even with a solo home run in the sixth, one of just five hits on the day for SHU.

Ricky Dennis (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) maneuvered through the first game with eight strikeouts and pitched seven innings to earn his third win, with Austin Counsellor (Salem, NJ/Woodstown/Gloucester CC) providing the relief for his second save with two shutout innings. After Maine jumped out to a 3-0 lead, the latter two on Hernen Sardinas' two-run homer in the third, MU tied it on one swing. The Hawks loaded the bases with two away before Norman lined a triple into the gap the other way, clearing the bases and making it 3-3.

Freshman Matt Graber (Newton, MA/Dexter) put Monmouth up to stay in the fourth with a sac fly, and MU added an insurance run in the sixth with Graber scoring an unearned run on an error. The icing on the game came from Andreessen in the eighth, as he launched his second home run of the year into the trees beyond the left field wall to make it 7-3, the eventual final.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"Ricky was awesome in Game One, he really handled the bottom half of the Maine lineup which allowed him to go deep in the game. Austin came in and pitched well, and got an especially big two outs when Maine had the tying runs on base in the eighth. Klepchick was excellent, he allowed just a home run and an unearned run and McCrum battled for us. Pitching was excellent all day, especially after Ricky came out and set the tone." – Dean Ehehalt on the pitching today

"It was good to see those guys get going. Their statistics may not be pretty but they come to practice every day and work hard, and hard work is starting to pay off. Zega did a great job in a big spot with two strikes and JD had five hits on the day, including a two-run blast in the first game to pad our lead late." – Ehehalt on the performances of Johnny Zega and JD Andreessen

-Monmouth swept a doubleheader for the first time this season.
-MU pitching struck out 11 in each game to tie a season high.
-John LaRocca became the second Hawk this year to draw three walks in a game in Game One.
-Kyle Norman had a three-RBI hit for the second consecutive game.
-JD Andreessen finished the day with a combined five hits, three RBI's, two doubles and a home run.
-Dennis earned his 15^th career win, tied for 14^th most in program history, and his third of the season to lead the team.
-Austin Counsellor is now the only Hawk with multiple saves this season.
-Counsellor and McCrum each dropped their ERA's, and are now the two lowest on the staff at 0.72 and 1.17 respectively.
-Klepchick's eight innings are the longest outing for an MU starter since Frank Trimarco's complete game at Quinnipiac on 4/29/16.
-Klepchick used just 101 pitches to work eight frames, throwing 75 of them for strikes.
-McCrum picked up his first win of the season with two shutout innings.
-The Hawks have won four of their last five games.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth outhit Maine 9-7 and Sacred Heart 9-5.
-Nick Silva took his fourth loss for Maine.
-Jackson Aldam took his second loss for SHU.
-MU pitching struck out 22 on the day and walked just four.
-Monmouth pitchers faced the minimum in six innings today.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth hosts in-state rival Rutgers on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m. on ESPN+.