Game One
Fairfield Stags (18-11, 18-11 MAAC) – 1
Monmouth Hawks (24-7, 24-7 MAAC) – 6
Game Two
Fairfield Stags (18-12, 18-12 MAAC) – 1
Monmouth Hawks (25-7, 25-7 MAAC) – 2
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – For the second consecutive day, the Monmouth University softball team swept Fairfield. The Hawks won game one, 6-1, before edging the Stags, 2-1.
Senior pitcher
Alyssa Irons (Rock Creek, OH/Jefferson Area/Hofstra) tossed another complete game in the opener, allowing just four hits and no earned runs while striking out three batters.
Sophomore
Kylie Gletow (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central Regional) registered another complete game win in game two, allowing six hits and just one earned run with five strikeouts.
Senior
Tommi Stowers (Columbus, IN/Columbus North/Western Kentucky) paced the Monmouth offense all day, hitting a two-RBI double, an RBI groundout, and an RBI single in the doubleheader.
Senior
Erika Coreth (Sewell, NJ/Washington Township) hit an RBI single and walked with the bases loaded in game one.
Freshmen
Devin Coia (Vineland, NJ/Cumberland County Tech) and
Abby Warner (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) each hit an RBI single in game one and two, respectively.
Monmouth improves to 25-7 (25-7 MAAC) on the season, and will be the No. 1 seed in the upcoming MAAC Championship after securing its third straight Regular Season Title.
NOTES AND QUOTES
"I'm really pleased with how we finished our regular season. I thought it was important to win both games in the fashion that we did. Both Alyssa and Kylie gave us excellent starts, and we had solid defense and timely hitting all day. I loved the fact that we hung in there and got ourselves out of a couple jams. We found a way to win a 2-1 ballgame against a really good team. We're going to get right back to work and prepare for whoever our next opponent is."
– Monmouth head coach Shannon Salsburg
-In game one, Fairfield scored first in the top of the third on a Monmouth error.
-The Hawks answered with four runs in the bottom half. Sophomore
Riley Riendeau walked to begin the inning, and advanced to second after a single from senior
Katie Harrington.
-Coreth then singled through the left side to tie the game 1-1.
-Stowers followed with a two-RBI double to right field to score Harrington and Coreth.
-Coia increased the lead to 4-1 with an RBI single to left field.
-Monmouth added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth. Coreth forced a bases loaded walk, and Stowers grounded out to score junior
Lindsey Baron.
-Fairfield loaded the bases in the top of the seventh, but Irons forced a pop up to seal the win.
-In game two, the Hawks got on the board first in the bottom of the third. Harrington was hit by a pitch, and was bumped to second on a Coreth ground out.
-Stowers registered another RBI with a single up the middle to score Harrington.
-After freshman
Julia Thuer walked, Warner made it 2-0 with an RBI single to right center.
-The Stags cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth with an RBI single.
-Gletow allowed just one hit in the final three innings to earn the win.
NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Monmouth has won 17 of its last 20 games heading into the MAAC Tournament. The Hawks are 60-12 in MAAC regular season play since 2018.
-Irons is now 52-21 in her Monmouth career with a 1.64 ERA, which ranks first in program history. She has 58 complete games and 393 strikeouts. Her 1.42 ERA this season leads the MAAC.
-Gletow improved to 10-3 on the season and lowered her ERA to 2.84. Her 10 wins rank third among conference pitchers. She has six complete games in 2021.
-Stowers now leads the team with 28 RBI.
-Senior
Deangie Jimenez played in her 200th career game today.
UP NEXT
No. 1 Monmouth will host the No. 8 seed in the MAAC Quarterfinals this weekend for a best-of-three series.
