FINAL SCORE
Elon (11-16, 5-1 CAA) – 4
Monmouth (3-15, 3-3 CAA) – 3
 
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – Billie Kerwood tied a career high in strikeouts with 11, and Abby Warner blasted a three-run home run, but the Monmouth University softball team fell to conference foe Elon, 4-3, at MU Softball Park on Sunday afternoon.

Kerwood was on fire early in the circle, striking out eight through the first three innings of the contest. To lead off the bottom of the third, Riley Riendeau ripped her third double of the season to right center. Francesca Torraca later singled and stole second, setting the stage for Warner. In a 3-2 count, the junior catcher laced one that hit the top of the left field fence and bounced over for her second home run of 2023, putting the Hawks up 3-0 in the process.

Kerwood remained steady in the circle, striking out three more batters before her day ended in the sixth after a leadoff single. Elon was able to rally and take the lead that inning behind a pair of doubles.

In the bottom of the seventh, Kiley O'Rourke delivered a pinch-hit single, and Torraca drew a walk, putting the winning run on for Warner. She drove a 2-0 pitch to the warning track in center, but it found a glove, and Eve Serrato followed with a lineout to just about the same area, clinching a 4-3 victory for the Phoenix.

NOTES & QUOTES
"The takeaway today is that on a day-to-day basis, we can compete with some of the best this conference has to offer. That was a heck of a softball game, Elon just got one more run today.
 
Both teams fought to the very end. We had some great at-bats in the seventh. We had a few get on and a few strike the ball well, it just unfortunately didn't fall. But it will, if we continue to stay the course with our process.

I'm proud of these kids of our team's growth. I'm excited to see what the remainder of the season has to offer." – Head Coach Shannon Salsburg
 
- Abby Warner now has eight career homers.
- Devin Coia hit her first double of the season.
- Warner has reached base safely in 12 games this season.

NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Abby Warner leads the team with 15 hits in 2023.
- Francesca Torraca is a perfect 4-for-4 on stolen base attempts this season.
- In four starts, Billie Kerwood sports a 2.33 ERA in conference play.
- Kerwood tied a career high in strikeouts (11).
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will play Lehigh on Wednesday, March 22, at 3:30 p.m. in Bethlehem, PA.