FAIRFIELD, CT – Monmouth University Baseball (13-7, 13-7 MAAC) battled back to tie Game One and fought back in the later innings of Game Two, but Fairfield University (20-0, 20-0 MAAC) won both games of a doubleheader Sunday. The Stags took the first contest 4-3 before winning the final game by a 4-1 count.
Johnny Zega (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) doubled with two down and came around on a
James Harmstead (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) single to give MU an early lead. The Stags answered with two in the bottom half and one in the third, but the Hawks got one back in the third.
Jalen Jenkins (Waxhaw, NC/Cuthbertson/Brunswick CC) doubled after
Harry Padden (Pittsgrove, NJ/AP Schalick) was hit by a pitch, and
Alex Barker (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) got a run in with a ground out to make it 3-2. In Monmouth's final at bat,
Robbie Holmes (Bernardsville, NJ/Bernards) hit a one-out double and the Hawks tied the game after pinch runner
Lorenzo Repack (Columbus, NJ/Northern Burlington) scored on an error. However, Mike Caruso led off the bottom half with a solo home run to give the Stags a 4-3 win.
Danny Long (Sellersville, PA/Pennridge) set down the first nine in a row in Game Two, but Fairfield got on the board with a run in the fourth before Ryan Strollo hit a three-run homer in the fifth, making it 4-0. MU got a run via an error in the seventh to trim it to 4-1, and threatened in the ninth, loading the bases, but couldn't get even as the Stags took the finale.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"Tough day for us. We played hard and both games went down to the last at-bat. A lot of baseball to play moving forward. This team has a lot of fight in them." – Head Coach
Dean Ehehalt
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Rob Hensey gave up his first runs of the season in his third start.
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Ryan Steckline lowered his season ERA to 2.31 with three shutout innings.
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James Harmstead reached base in every game of the series.
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Jalen Jenkins ran hit hitting streak to three games.
-Jenkins and
Robbie Holmes both hit their first doubles of the season.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
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Rob Hensey allowed three earned runs in 5.2 innings with two K's.
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Mason Miller took the Game One loss, allowing the fourth Stag run.
-Each team had six hits in Game One.
-The Hawks did not make an error on the day.
UP NEXT
-Monmouth will take on Iona next weekend on the road in a four-game set.
