#2 Monmouth Hawks (35-16) – 5  
#1 Marist Red Foxes (34-21) – 4
 
POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – Junior Deangie Jimenez hit the go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the seventh inning, and the Monmouth University softball team advanced to its fifth consecutive MAAC Championship with a win over No. 1 seed Marist, 5-4. Junior Sam Tomasetti hit two home runs in the win and was 3-for-4 in the game. Junior Amber Wozniak hit a home run for the second straight game, giving Monmouth a 3-1 lead in the sixth. Marist scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth to go ahead 4-3. After sophomore Erika Coreth walked to lead off the top of the seventh, Jimenez launched the game-winning two-run home run to left center on an 0-2 count. Sophomore Alyssa Irons shut the door in the bottom half of the seventh, improving her season record to 29-10. The Hawks will look to win their second straight MAAC Tournament Championship tomorrow at 11:00 AM against an opponent to be determined.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"I've said all week, tournament time is the best time. I told our team, no matter what leave it all out there and have fun, and I thought both teams did that today. Deangie has been in a championship setting over the last three years, and I couldn't be more proud of her. We made some adjustments and had long at bats, which gave us an opportunity to have some big hits." - Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg
-Marist got on the board first in the bottom of the second. After a double, Claire Oberdorf was brought home on a single up the middle.
-Tomasetti tied the game with a solo home run in the top of the third inning.
-In the top of the sixth, Tomasetti led off with her second solo home run of the game, putting Monmouth ahead 2-1.
-Two batters later, Wozniak crushed a home run inside the left foul pole, making it 3-1.
-Marist put runners on first and third with one out in the bottom of the sixth. An RBI groundout cut it to 3-2. The next batter, freshman Kaley Coltrain, hit a two-run homer to left center to give the Red Foxes a 4-3 lead. After a triple and a hit by pitch, Marist attempted a double steal, but the runner was thrown out at home.
-Coreth led off the top of the seventh with a walk, and sophomore Morgan Maziarz came in to pinch run. After Jimenez fouled off two bunts, the junior became the hero with a go-ahead two-run home run to left center.
-In the bottom of the seventh, Marist put runners on first and second with one out, but Irons forced a fly out and a ground out to seal the win.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Jimenez hit her second home run of the season, and fourth of her career.
-Irons is now 29-10 on the season with a 1.48 ERA. The previous program record for wins in a season was 22, set by Donna Witt in 1995. In 34 starts, she has 32 complete games, including 12 shutouts. Irons has struck out 220 batters in 250.1 innings pitched.
-Monmouth is 40-5 in MAAC games over the last two years including the postseason.
-Tomasetti now has four home runs in 2019 and upped her batting average to .298.
-Wozniak hit her sixth home run of the season and leads the team with 33 RBI this year.
 
UP NEXT
Monmouth will either face #1 Marist, #4 Iona, or #5 Niagara in the MAAC Championship tomorrow at 11:00 AM. If the Hawks lose, they will get another opportunity with a game two.