Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 CARY, NC – Monmouth University Baseball (2-1) split a doubleheader with Bucknell University (1-2) at the USA Baseball Complex in Cary, NC on Saturday. The Hawks took the first game by a 3-1 count before falling 5-4 in the second contest, a seven-inning affair.

In the opener, Jalen Jenkins (Waxhaw, NC/Cuthbertson/Brunswick CC) got things started with a double before scoring to make it 1-0. The Hawk lead extended in the fifth when a leadoff walk and a sacrifice put a runner in scoring position for Jenkins to knock in his first collegiate run. Bucknell got within a run in the eighth on a fielder's choice, but a strikeout and a caught stealing limited the damage. The Hawks got that run right back in the bottom half, with Ben Winstead collecting his first collegiate hit before Dennis Filipovski (Ormond Beach, FL/Seabreeze/St. Petersburg College) brought him across with a sac fly, the final run in a Hawks 3-1 win. Rob Hensey (Campbell Hall, NY/Goshen) faced the minimum through 4.2 and notched four 1-2-3 innings.

In the seven-inning nightcap, Bucknell jumped to a 3-0 lead in the first on six hits, including a two-run double off the bat of Eunsang Yu. Monmouth fought back to get two in the top of the second, scoring on a bases loaded walk and a Johnny Zega (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) infield single to cut the deficit to one. Bucknell added single runs in the fifth and sixth to lead 5-2 before a final-inning rally from Monmouth. Two straight singles and a walk filled the bases and a sacrifice fly got MU within two. JP Walsh (Spring Brook Township, PA/North Pocono) drove in a run with a bunt single to cut it to one, but the Hawks could not get the equalizer, dropping their first game of the season.

NOTES

Game One
-Monmouth improved to 2-0 to start a season for the first time since 2012.
-Jalen Jenkins collected his first two hits and RBI as a Hawk.
-Jenkins, Dennis Filipovski and Brady Mutz all made their first starts at Monmouth.
-Ben Winstead and Harry Padden also made their collegiate debuts off the bench.
-Winstead notched his first collegiate hit off the bench.
-Filipovski drove in his first run in the Blue and White.
-Rob Hensey went seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits for the third time in his young career.

Game Two
-Freshman Trey Dombroski made his first collegiate start on the mound.
-MU dropped its first game of the season.
-Ben Winstead made his first collegiate start.
-Zach Schild has had multiple hits in both of his starts thus far.
-Brothers Trey and Regan Dombroski combined to throw all six innings for Monmouth, allowing no walks.


NUMBERS CRUNCH

Game One
-Monmouth outhit Bucknell 6-2.
-The Bison made both of the games errors.
-Rob Hensey earned the win with seven shutout, two hit innings.
-Nick Houghton earned his third career save with two strong relief innings.
-Jack Simpson took the loss for the Bison, allowing two runs through five.

Game Two
-Monmouth was outhit 11-7.
-Bucknell made the games lone error.
-Brenden Tutt got the win for the Bison with 3.2 innings and four K's.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth wraps up opening weekend tomorrow morning in Cary, NC at 10:00 a.m. against Big Ten foe Penn State.