WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Monmouth University Baseball (15-7, 15-7 MAAC) backed up excellent pitching all day with a pair of late comebacks to sweep a two games from Marist College (9-5, 9-5 MAAC) Saturday. Freshman Dixon Black (Archbald, PA/Valley View) delivered the go-ahead run in the first game, while Jake Catalano's (Southampton, NJ/St. Augustine Prep/RCGC) seventh-inning two-out grand slam was the big blow in the second contest, giving MU the lead.
 
The teams traded zeroes in the first four innings of the opener, a seven-inning affair, with Dan Klepchick (Warrington, PA/Central Bucks South) faced the minimum through 4.1 innings with help from his defense while striking out five in that span. Marist broke through in the fifth after a walk and an infield hit allowed Colin Mackle to single in a run, making it 1-0. MU fought back in the sixth, with a hit and an error igniting the rally. After Johnny Zega (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) singled, the Red Foxes cut down the tying run at the plate, but James Harmstead (Manasquan, NJ/Manasquan) followed with a sac fly to get things even. After an intentional walk, Black singled home the lead run, and Zach Schild (Lincroft, NJ/Middletown South) followed that with a two-run single to provide some insurance. Ryan Steckline (Newark, DE/Appoquinimink) needed just 12 pitches to lock down his fourth save.
 
In the nightcap, Marist strung together three hits in the third to grab a 2-0 lead against Trey Dombroski (Manasquan, NJ/Wall) before he settled in, ultimately fanning 10 in seven innings. Alex Pansini was effective for the visitors, getting into the seventh before the Hawks got to him. A Zega single and Alex Barker (Newark, DE/Caravel Academy) double got things going, with an infield hit loading the bases off the bat of Black. Dennis Filipovski (Ormond Beach, FL/Seabreeze/St. Petersburg College) got the Blue and White on the board with a single before the big blow of the day came from Catalano, who tucked a 1-1 offering inside the left field foul pole for a two-out grand slam to make it 5-2 Monmouth. Regan Dombroski (Manasquan, NJ/Wall) got five outs out of the bullpen and Steckline got the final one to record his fifth save and lock down the sweep.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES

"An exciting day for sure.  It usually comes down to a play here or there and maybe one swing of the bat on days like today, especially when the wind is blowing and their pitchers are throwing well.  We got some real good pitching and made the most of some opportunities against some good arms. Offensively, the lineup did a great job late in both games and bunched some real good AB's together. Klepchick threw well in Game One in what was a great pitching duel for the better part of the game and then Steckline came in and closed it out. Our offense was able to create some opportunities late and of course Dixon and Zach delivered some clutch hits. Zach has been pressing as of late, so it was nice to see him stay simple and do what he has done so many times in his career." – Head Coach Dean Ehehalt on Game One
 
"Game Two was very similar to the first game. Trey went seven strong, pitched out of a jam in the third and limited the damage. Regan and Steckline finished it out with some big outs. Of course, Catalano had the big blow with the grand slam. Great at bat on his part, he had some tough ones earlier in the day. It was nice to see him come through in that spot. Jake works hard, has a great work ethic and I know the team is happy for him. During the five-run inning we had some real good two-strike at bats and guys kept the line moving. The bottom of the order grinded out some AB's in that inning that allowed us to get to Jake. We look forward to getting back out there tomorrow." – Ehehalt on Game Two
 
-Monmouth swept a doubleheader for the sixth time this season.
-Jake Catalano's home run was his first as a Hawk.
-The grand slam is Monmouth's first since April 14, 2019 against Niagara off the bat of Clay Koniencki.
-Trey Dombroski tied his career best with 10 strikeouts, which he did earlier this season against Siena.
-Dombroski has allowed just two walks in his last four outings.
-Klepchick matched his season high with nine K's.
-For the fourth and fifth times this season, Monmouth scored the go-ahead runs in the final three innings of a game.
-Ryan Steckline's 11 career saves move him past Chuck Garrison (10) into fifth all-time in program history. He is three behind Justin Andrews for fourth.
-Steckline's five saves leads the MAAC.
-Klepchick and Dombroski each won their third game of the year, tied for the most on the team.
 
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-MU outhit Marist 7-3 in the opener.
-Each team made one total error on the day.
-MU pitching allowed just three total runs in 16 innings.
-23 of Monmouth's 48 outs recorded were via the strikeout.
 
UP NEXT
-The teams conclude the four-game set with a twinbill tomorrow beginning at noon in West Long Branch.