#5 Manhattan (27-24) –  1
#1 Monmouth (30-14) – 3
 
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Behind two home runs from sophomore Amber Wozniak, the top-seeded Monmouth University softball team defeated No. 5 Manhattan on Thursday, 3-1. The Hawks have now won 11 straight games for the second time this season, which matches the second-longest streak in program history. Senior Amanda Riley pitched her 17^th complete game of the season in her 100^th career start, giving up just one run for her 19^th win of the year. Monmouth scored its first run in the bottom of the first inning on an error, and Wozniak took care of the rest with solo home runs in the fourth and sixth innings. Manhattan scored a run in the top of the sixth and loaded the bases in the same inning, but Riley minimized the damage. The Hawks will face No. 2 Fairfield tomorrow at 11:00 AM, with the winner moving on to Saturday's MAAC Championship Round.
 
NOTES
"We knew it was going to be a battle, because Manhattan was on a roll. We knew they were going to fight the entire game. We're always happy to get a win, because this is a tough environment to do so. Amber made some really good adjustments. She was talking to her teammates about what they were seeing, and ended up making a small adjustment with her hands. Fairfield is a really good team, so we're going to start preparing right away."  – Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg
-Sophomore Sam Tomasetti led off the bottom of the first inning with a walk, and was bunted to second by senior Chloe Howerth. After senior Katie Baron hit a long fly ball allowing Tomasetti to advance to third, Rosado hit a popup that was mishandled by the catcher, and the Hawks took the 1-0 lead.
-In the bottom of the fourth, Wozniak gave Monmouth a 2-0 lead with a home run to center field to lead off the inning.
-The Jaspers made it a 2-1 game in the top of the sixth with an RBI single, but the Hawks answered with Wozniak's sixth home run of the season to go ahead 3-1.
-Riley shut the door in the top of the seventh, getting three straight outs to win the game.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth improved to 12-0 at home this season.
-The Hawks' 30 wins are the most since 2013.
-Riley increased her program record to 636 career strikeouts (the previous record was 497). She ranks first in program history with 661.2 innings pitched, third with 53 wins, second with 145 appearances, second with 100 starts.
-The Hawks only registered three hits on the day, with two of them coming on Wozniak home runs.
-Wozniak is now tied for the team lead with 34 RBI and second on the team with a .319 average.
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will take on No. 2 Fairfield tomorrow at 11:00 AM. The winner will advance to the MAAC Championship Round. Monmouth swept the Stags in the first conference games of the year on March 31.