WILMINGTON, N.C. –
Chris Walsh had an RBI double to lead the No. 3 Monmouth University baseball team in a 6-1 loss to No. 6 UNCW in a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Championship elimination game on Friday.
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Monmouth finished its 2026 campaign with 30 wins, it's the most since 2018.
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UNCW got its offense going in the first as it loaded the bases with one out. A walk, a groundout and a double gave UNCW a 4-0 advantage.
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UNCW pushed its lead to 6-0 with two more runs in the top of the second.Â
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Monmouth got on the board in the bottom of the third.
Aidan Bretschneider had a one-out single and moved to second on a wild pitch. Walsh then roped a double to left that scored Bretschneider and made it a 6-1 game.
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Austin Beard settled in and limited UNCW to just four singles over the next three innings.
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Colin Richter reached on a single in the sixth but was unable to come home.Â
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Colin Ruddy entered the game in the seventh and did not allow a hit to UNCW over the final three innings of work.Â
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However, Monmouth was unable to get anything going and UNCW claimed the victory.
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Notes
- The game started with a five hour and 58 minute rain delay, as first pitch was originally scheduled for 11:05 am.
- The Hawks finished the 2026 season with 30 wins, it was the first time since 2018 and the 12th time under head coach Dean Ehehalt.
- Brendan Buecker was hit by a pitch in the contest. It was his 13th hit by a pitch this season and the 94th for the team.
- Buecker finished the season on a 13 game reached base safely streak.Â
- Wyatt Hunt's double was his team-leading 17th of the season.Â
- That base knock also got Hunt to 70 hits on the season. He is the first Hawk in the last 10 years to have 70 hits in one season. Â
- Brendan Kenneally started and took the loss for the Hawks. He surrendered four runs in one inning of work.Â
- Austin Beard struck out a season-high five batters while matching his season-high with five innings of relief work pitched.Â
- Colin Ruddy went the final three innings for the Hawks and did not surrender a hit. Ruddy held opponents scoreless in four of five appearances this season.Â