Final Score
Monmouth (29-21, 20-10 CAA) – 8
North Carolina A&T (14-38, 5-25 CAA) – 7
WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – Monmouth walked off N.C. A&T in dramatic fashion Saturday afternoon, scoring in the bottom of the ninth inning to secure an 8-7 CAA victory at MU Baseball Field.
The Hawks (29-21, 20-10 CAA) erased multiple deficits throughout the afternoon before capitalizing on a wild pitch in the ninth to complete the comeback.
Brendan Buecker opened the inning after being hit by a pitch, and
Colin Richter followed with a single to put runners at first and second. After
Chris Walsh moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt,
Wyatt Hunt was hit by a pitch before Buecker raced home on a wild pitch to end the game.
Monmouth pounded out 16 hits in the win, led by
RJ Mustaro, who went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. His game-tying two-run homer in the eighth inning erased a 7-5 deficit and energized the Hawks late.
Nick Lovarco also homered and scored twice, while Walsh added a solo shot in the first inning to open the scoring.
N.C. A&T answered early behind two home runs from JT Taylor, including a three-run blast in the second and a two-run shot in the eighth that briefly put the Aggies back in front. Taylor finished with five RBIs.
After trailing 5-3 entering the seventh, Monmouth rallied with back-to-back solo homers from Lovarco and Mustaro to tie the game. The Aggies regained the lead in the eighth before Mustaro delivered again with a two-run homer to center.
Hunt and
Simmi Whitehill each recorded two hits, while
Jimmy Bruno drove in a run and reached base twice.
Out of the bullpen,
Caden Carlin tossed two scoreless innings, and
Kevin Opanel struck out two in a clean ninth to earn the victory.
Notes & Numbers
- The Hawks honored their 15 seniors prior to the game.
- Twenty-nine wins in a season are the most since 2018.
- Six Hawks finished with a multi-hit outing.
- Monmouth 16 hits today are tied for the third-most by the team this season.
- Mustaro recorded his first multi-homer game of the season.
- Lovarco leads MU with 11 home runs this season.
- Opanel is now 5-1 on the mound this year.
- Monmouth improves to 5-3 all-time versus the Aggies.
Up Next
The Hawks finish the regular season 29-21 overall and 20-10 in conference games, qualifying for their first ever CAA postseason, and will begin play on Wednesday, May 20, on the campus of UNC Wilmington.
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