BOCA RATON, FL – Monmouth posted a six-run seventh inning that included home runs from Ben Winstead and Harry Padden, but the Hawks were defeated Saturday in the middle game of a three-game series by Florida Atlantic, 14-8.
 
FAU jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Phil Stahl' second RBI in as many games cut it to 4-1 with a third inning RBI single. The Owls added two in the fourth, with MU answering on a Padden RBI single to trim the deficit to 6-2. Florida Atlantic used a big fifth inning, scoring eight times to expand on their lead.

Monmouth did not go quietly, hanging a crooked number in the seventh. Austin Denlinger notched a one-out infield single, and after a walk and an error, Monmouth was on the board. Andrew Schmid drove in his first run of the season with a single to left, and Eric Sabato knocked home his first run as a Hawk with an RBI ground out. Winstead and Padden capped the inning with back-to-back home runs to cut it to 14-8, the closest the Hawks would get.
 
NOTES AND QUOTES
 
"Offensively, we did some good things. Our pitching has battled through some adversity this weekend and we are confident that we will improve as we move forward. Tamburro has been waiting for his opportunity and was excellent out of the bullpen tonight. He made his first career appearance a memorable one. Everyone was happy for Nick. We need to build on some of the positives; we are playing some solid baseball in some areas and our guys are playing hard. FAU is a talented and veteran squad, so playing solid baseball is a must. We need to make plays and throw strikes. The hitters are competing at the plate and having some good AB's. Winstead is a good hitter; it was nice to see him play well and hit his first career homer. As we move forward I am confident our lineup will be very productive. Defensively, we are getting better. Despite the outcome tonight, a lot of encouraging signs.  Looking forward to see how we bounce back tomorrow." – Head Coach Dean Ehehalt
 
-Joey Ventresca made his first career start on the mound.
-Andrew Schmid knocked in his first run of the season and second of his career.
-Ben Winstead hit his first career home run.
-Harry Padden launched his second career homer and first since May 9, 2021 at Saint Peter's.
-Austin Denlinger notched his second straight multi-hit game to open his Monmouth career.
-Eric Sabato picked up his first hit and RBI as a Hawk.
-Joey DeMucci and Nick Tamburro made their Monmouth debuts.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
-MU was outhit 13-11.
-FAU made two errors to Monmouth's one.
-Nick Tamburro threw 3.1 shutout innings out of the bullpen for MU.

UP NEXT
-Monmouth and FAU wrap the three-game series tomorrow at noon.