May 19, 2007

Box Score

West Long Branch, NJ - After Wagner took game one of today's doubleheader Monmouth captured game two with a 3-0 victory at the MU Baseball Field. The loss moves Wagner's record to 16-33 and 10-16 in the NEC while the Hawks improve to 32-20-1 and 16-9 in conference-play.

After getting shut out in game one Monmouth struck first with two first-inning runs on two hits. Sophomore rhp Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn) then settled down getting the next two outs to escape the jam before striking out the side in the second and getting two of the three outs via the K in the third.

Huebner would run into trouble in the fourth giving up a run on a walk and a pair of hits before leaving with the bases loaded. Freshman rhp Buddy Cipoletti (West Islip, NY / St. John the Baptist) entered and promptly struck out Brett Holland before coaxing John Dennis into a flyout to escape the bases-loaded jam.

However Wagner was unable to get to Monmouth starter Brad Brach. He retired the first nine batters of the game before former high school teammate freshman Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) singled up the middle to lead off the fourth but was picked off on the ensuing play. Senior Joseph DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ / Hawthorne) followed with a walk but was also erased on a pitch out while trying to steal second.

The Seahawk bats would remain silent until the sixth when freshman Kevin Payne (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) singled with one out but Brach responded by striking out the final two hitters to end the last Wagner-threat.

Huebner (2-1) struck out five against just one walk but gave up three runs over 3.1 innings in taking the loss. Cipoletti was lights out in relief striking out one and yielding just one hit in 2.2 innings.

Brach (8-2) picked up the win striking out nine over 7.0 innings while yielding two hits and a walk.

Wagner will conclude their season tomorrow with a doubleheader starting at 12 pm.