POMONA, NY – Rob Hensey delivered eight strong innings and Joey Ventresca homered, but fourth-seeded Monmouth University Baseball (24-26) dropped its MAAC Tournament opener on Wednesday afternoon at Clover Stadium, 5-1 to Rider University (25-24). Monmouth will now take on Niagara in an elimination game at 7:00 p.m. tonight.
 
After Hensey retired the first 10 batters of the game, a single and a walk set up Rider to score on an error and make it 1-0. Brendan O'Donnell's RBI single made it 2-0, and a double steal play saw the Rider runner thrown out at home before the umpires called a balk to allow the run to score and make it 3-0.
 
Ventresca led off the seventh with a long solo home run to right center to get the Hawks on the board, and Brady Mutz followed two batters later with a double off the wall. Colin McCreary drove a single to right but Mutz was cut down at the plate to keep it 3-1.
 
NOTES
 
-Rob Hensey worked eight full innings for the third time this season and second straight outing.
-Hensey's 10 strikeouts marked his fifth double-digit strikeout game this season.
-Ventresca's home run was his fourth of the season and first since April 16.
-Ventresca hit Monmouth's first MAAC Tournament home run since Colin McCreary against Marist in the 2019 edition.
-Brady Mutz added his seventh multi-hit game of the season.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-Hensey took the loss, allowing one earned run with 10 K's and three hits across eight innings.
-Joe Papeo got the win, working six, while Danny Kirwin picked up the save with three innings in relief for Rider.
-The teams combined for 11 hits in the game.
 
UP NEXT
-Monmouth will take on #6 Niagara at 7:00 p.m. in an elimination game tonight.