RICHMOND, VA – Monmouth University Baseball (7-7) dropped a pair of close games in a doubleheader Sunday, falling by scores of 4-2 and 3-0 at VCU on Sunday.
 
In the opener, Dan Klepchick didn't allow a hit until the fourth when VCU got on the board with a pair of doubles to lead 1-0. MU loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and tied the game on a Jake Catalano sacrifice fly as Klepchick worked through six one-run innings. The combination of an error, a passed ball and a wild pitch in the seventh allowed VCU to score three times, and the Hawks got one of those back in the eighth on a James Harmstead RBI double but couldn't get any closer.
 
In the second game, Rob Hensey struck out the side in the second but Tyler Locklear hit a two-run homer in the third to make it 2-0 Rams. A solo homer in the fourth extended that to 3-0, and Monmouth threatened in each of the middle innings, putting two on in each frame but couldn't get any runs across. Hensey delivered six strong with 11 K's on the afternoon.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"The pitching was very good today. Klepchick and Hensey with solid starts, Aldrich and Barker as well out of the pen. Our offense could not get going today. We are still trying to get consistent on both sides of the ball. Congratulations to Mason Wolf on his first career hit." – Head Coach Dean Ehehalt
 
-Hensey's 11 strikeouts matches a career-high, and marks his third career double-digit strikeout game.
-Klepchick matched his longest outing of the season, going six innings for the second week in a row.
-Mason Wolf notched his first career hit.
-Casey Caufield extended his team-best hitting streak to nine games and his reached base streak to 10.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Dan Klepchick took a no decision with six innings, allowing a run on four hits with four K's.
-Rob Hensey threw six innings as well, allowing three runs on six hits with no walks and 11 K's in the game.
-Stephen Aldrich threw two one-hit shutout innings.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth takes on Penn Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. on the road.