March 29, 2008

Box Score

WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ - Monmouth overcame a 4-2 sixth-inning deficit with six runs in its last three innings for a come-from-behind 8-4 baseball win over visiting NJIT Saturday in the second of three games this weekend between the schools.

Monmouth, which blew open a close game with a seven-run seventh inning in a 10-3 win over the Highlanders on Friday, scored three times in the bottom of the sixth on Saturday, turning a 4-2 deficit into a 5-4 lead. The Hawks added a single run in the seventh and two in the eighth to score the 8-4 win.

The Highlanders scored once in each of the first four innings to build their 4-2 lead.

NJIT and Monmouth will meet one more time this weekend, as the Hawks will visit the Highlanders in a 1 pm game on Sunday at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

LF Ryan Terry, 1B Andy Meyers and 3B Mike Casale all had two hits apiece for Monmouth and Meyers drove in two runs, but the key blow was a pinch-hit, two-run triple by Tim McEndy that keyed the three-run sixth-inning rally that put the Hawks on top.

Monmouth reliever Ryan Buch (2-1) got the win, tossing 3.1 innings of scoreless, hitless relief, striking out five without a walk. He bailed out starting pitcher Matt Marc-Aurele, who allowed all four NJIT runs (one earned), on six hits and three walks in 5.2 innings. Marc-Aurele had to overcome seven Monmouth errors in the first five innings.

Sophomore LHP Bobby Wyrwa, who resides in Tinton Falls, NJ, not far from the Monmouth campus, was the starter and losing pitcher for NJIT.

Wyrwa, who held Monmouth to two runs through the first five innings, left the game in the sixth with a 4-3 lead, one out and two runners on base, the second of which had reached on an error.

Monmouth's McEndy greeted reliever RHP Spiro Molfetas with a two-run triple to left center field that put the Hawks on top to stay, 5-4.

Monmouth's sixth run was charged to Molfetas, who gave way to LHP Matt Melody with one out and a runner on second in the seventh inning. And the Hawks added two more runs on just one hit in the bottom of the eighth against Melody.

NJIT's hitting leader was 1B Mike Turner, who was 2-for-4, while four of his teammates got one hit apiece. All six Highlander hits were singles.

The Highlanders scored first in the first inning, as LF Craig Bienkiewicz reached on an error leading off the game. He stole second and went to third on a single by 2B Miguel Lugo, who was then erased at second on a double play that scored Bienkiewicz.

Turner led off the second inning with a single and came around to score on a two-out, two-base error by Monmouth in right field.

Lugo led off the third inning by reaching base on yet another Hawk error and he later scored on Monmouth's second miscue of the frame.

The Highlanders finally got an earned run in the fourth inning, as 3B John Berner got things started with a one-out single. C Matt Tomczyk singled and Binkiewicz walked to load the bases and NJIT's fourth run scored when Lugo reached on a bases-loaded error.