FINAL SCORE 
Monmouth 12 (11-13)
LIU 1 (11-14)

WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Four pitchers combined to allow just one run as the Monmouth University baseball team secured a 12-1 win over LIU on Wednesday afternoon. The Hawks won their second straight game with the victory.
 
LIU struck first in the top of the first inning. Cord Dobrinski had a two-out RBI single but Joey Ciancimino got a big strike out to leave the bases loaded.
 
The Hawks responded in the bottom of the first. The first five batters reached bases and RBI singles from Jay Bant and Chris Andrews helped Monmouth take a 3-1 lead. 
 
After a one, two, three top of the second, the Hawks put a crooked number on the board in the bottom of the frame. Monmouth sent 10 men to the plate and scored six times for a 9-1 advantage in the game. Bant had a three-run double in the inning while Chris Walsh and Wyatt Hunt had RBI singles as well.
 
Monmouth scored two more runs in the third. Kenny Noe crossed the plate on a fielders choice before Bant lifted a sac fly, which made it an 11-1 game.
 
The Monmouth pitching which had settled in after the first inning, was particularly in control from the fourth inning on. After allowing a leadoff single in the fourth, the Hawks pitchers retired 10 straight batters. Monmouth allowed just one base runner after the fourth inning on a hit by pitch.
 
Hunt had a sac fly in the sixth as Monmouth took a 12-1 lead. 
 
The 11 run lead was enough as the Hawks claimed the 12-1 victory.

NOTES 
- The Hawks and Sharks were meeting for the 85th time but the first since 2022. Monmouth leads the all-time series, 51-33-1.
- Monmouth moved to 2-2 at home this year with the win.
- Casey Caufield got hit by a pitch twice and increased his reached base safely streak to 20 straight games. 
- Chris Andrews had a pair of hits and has hit safely in nine straight games.  

NUMBERS CRUNCH
- Harry Padden stole his team-leading 12th base of the season and 41st of his career. He needs three more steals to move into the top ten for career steals at Monmouth.
- Jay Bant led the squad with five RBIs. It was his second game of the season with five or more RBIs in a game. 
- Joey Ciancimino had a season-high five strikeouts in the game. That is tied for the most strikeouts by a Monmouth pitcher this season. 
- Jacob Ciccone, who picked up the win for the Hawks with three scoreless innings, extended his scoreless streak to 7.2 innings to start the season. 
- Mason Breton took the loss for LIU as he gave up seven runs in 1.1 innings of action.

NEXT UP
Monmouth returns to Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) action this weekend as it travels to Towson for a three-game set. The action gets underway on Friday, Mar. 28 at 3 p.m.