WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth freshman Dan Klepchick (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) threw his third straight complete game to help MU to a doubleheader split with Siena Saturday, taking the second game 2-1 after falling in the opener, 9-2. Shaine Hughes (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) drove in the game-winning run for the Blue and White in the nightcap.

Monmouth took an immediate 1-0 lead in the second game when Danny Long (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) led off with a double and went to third on a ground out before scoring on Zach Schild's (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) infield single. Siena got it back in the third on a Joe Drpich RBI single, and that would remain the score until the fifth. In that time, Klepchick allowed just one baserunner, and was helped out by his defense, with Long making a play deep in the hole and John LaRocca (Plainview, NY/St. Dominic) making a diving catch.

With one out in the fifth, JP Walsh (Spring Brook Township, PA/North Pocono) was hit by a pitch and went to second on a passed ball. Following a walk, Hughes singled to center to give MU the lead. The Saints put a runner at second in their final at bat but could not score to tie the game.

Siena jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the opener with a pair in the second, and Tommy Miller set down the Hawks through the fifth when the Saints broke it open. A six-run inning highlighted by six hits pushed Miller to an 8-0 lead. MU got a run in the fifth on a Siena error to get on the board, and the teams traded runs in the eighth and ninth to give Siena the opening win, 9-2.

NOTES AND QUOTES
"We bounced back well after the first game. We had Klepchick going, we were confident with that and we scored early and it settled us down. Klepchick was good enough to get it done today, he doesn't walk people and you know he's going to compete." – Dean Ehehalt

-Dan Klepchick threw his third consecutive complete game.
-Monmouth had a nine-game winning streak in conference play snapped, losing its first MAAC game since April 8 at Quinnipiac.
-The top third of the Monmouth order in the opener combined for six hits.
-MU clinches a winning record in MAAC play with its 13^th league win.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Ricky Dennis took his sixth loss of the year in the opener.
-Kyle Ajjan threw four effective innings in relief in the first game.
-Siena outhit MU 16-14 in the first game and MU topped the Saints in hits 6-4 in the second game.
-Tommy Miller tossed a complete game for Siena, allowing one earned run on 14 hits.
-Brendan White look his eighth loss for the Saints in the nightcap.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth and Siena wrap up the weekend series tomorrow at noon.