[14 inn.]
#2 Fairfield (26-25) – 2
#1 Monmouth (31-14) – 3
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Senior
Alex Holzman hit a walk-off solo home run in the bottom of the 14
th inning, and the Monmouth University softball team advanced to its fourth-straight MAAC Championship round with a 3-2 win over No. 2 Fairfield on Friday. Senior
Amanda Riley pitched a career-high 14 innings with a career-high 17 strikeouts, and becomes the second player in program history to win 20 games in a single season. The Stags took a 2-1 lead in the top of the seventh inning with an RBI single. In the bottom of the seventh, Holzman hit a single. Freshman
Morgan Maziarz came in to pinch run for her, and she was sent to second base on a Riley groundout. Sophomore
Deangie Jimenez was next up, and came up with a clutch RBI single to send the game to extras. In the bottom of the eighth, sophomore
Sam Tomasetti led off with a single and was bunted over to second. Senior
Katie Baron hit a single to center field, and Tomasetti was called out on the throw to home. Neither team could score for the next six innings until Holzman's walk-off. The Hawks improved to 31-14 on the season, and have now won 23 of their last 24 games.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"We've played crazy games like that before, so I just told them to stay focused on the game. Amanda showed a ton of grit and determination, and she wasn't going to let her teammates down. When a runner got on, the defense picked her up. That's what we've done all year, just play as a team. That's why this group is special." –
Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg
-Fairfield took the 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on a Monmouth throwing error.
-The Hawks answered in the bottom of the third, as senior
Chloe Howerth hit an RBI single to score freshman
Katie Harrington.
-The Stags regained the lead in the top of the seventh on an RBI single, forcing Monmouth to score to keep the game alive.
-Jimenez came through with the clutch hit in the bottom half of the inning, sending the game to extra innings.
-Both teams threatened with long fly balls in extra innings, but all were caught by outfielders.
-Holzman ended the game in the 14
th, sending a solo home run to left center field on an 0-2 count.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth improved to 13-0 at home this season.
-The Hawks' 31 wins are the most since 2013.
-Monmouth has won 12 straight games, which is the second-longest streak in program history. The record is 13.
-Holzman now ranks 6
th in program history with 19 career home runs.
-Riley pitched 14 innings and gave up just one earned run with 17 strikeouts. She increased her program record to 653 career strikeouts (the previous record was 497). She ranks first in program history with 675.2 innings pitched, third with 54 wins, second with 146 appearances, second with 101 starts.
-The Hawks registered eight hits during the game.
UP NEXT
The Hawks will face the winner of No. 2 Fairfield and No. 6 Marist/No. 5 Manhattan tomorrow at noon. Monmouth needs to win just one game to claim its first-ever conference title.
