Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

West Long Branch, NJ – The Monmouth Hawks scored runs late in both games to sweep the Seahawks, 4-3, and 7-3, in today's Northeast Conference (NEC) softball action.

The two losses drop the Seahawks to 10-24 on the year and 3-5 in NEC play, while Monmouth improves to .500 on the year with a 15-15 overall record and 5-5 in the league.

The Seahawks started the day with their bats, as freshman Kelsey Parker (Lynnwood, WA / Lynnwood) gave her squad the early lead, belting a RBI double to right centerfield, that scored leadoff hitter Kristen Matteoni (Reno, NV / Galena). Parker herself would score on the next at bat, taking advantage of a Monmouth error, and putting the Seahawks up 2-0.

The Hawks came right back in their opening at bats, jumping on freshman pitcher Samantha Bedker (Phoenix, AZ / Sandra Day O'Connor) with back-to-back homeruns by Kaiti Schumacher and Vanessa Cardoza, retaking the lead, 3-2.

Wagner evened the score in the top of the second inning when freshman Ashley Rollins (Fairfax, VA / Fairfax) was driven home by senior Vanessa Lenart (Fontana, CA / Henry J. Kaiser HS), who snapped a nine-game hitless streak, tying the score 3-3.

Both sides played to a stalemate going into the seventh inning when the Hawks closed out the contest, recording four hits, including a walk-off RBI single by Kate Kuzma, sealing the 4-3 victory.

Bedker pitched a complete game, six and one-third innings, allowing 11 hits and striking out four in her 10^th loss of the year.

The Seahawks began game two primed to make up for the last-inning loss, as the Green & White loaded the bases in the top of the first inning, beginning with a two-out double by Parker. Monmouth hurler Lauren Sulick didn't get rattled though, getting sophomore MacKenzie Alfaro (Riverside, CA / Riverside) to groundout to end the games first at bats.

After freshman pitcher Olivia Zwick (Surrey, Canada / Earl Marriot) struck out two in Monmouth's half of the first inning, the Seahawks opened up the scoring. Wagner again loaded the bases with two outs, but this time around, the Green & White crossed the plate on a two-run single by Brittany Huss (Anthem, AZ / Boulder Creek), scoring Lenart and Matteoni. Rollins also scored on a Monmouth error, putting the Seahawks up 3-0.

The teams went scoreless until for four innings, until the bottom of the fifth inning when one swing by Kuzma gave the Hawks the 4-3 lead, as the junior belted her fifth homerun of the year with a grand slam over the outfield wall.

Bedker came in to relieve Zwick to start the bottom of the sixth inning for the Seahawks, but the Hawks weren't fazed, keeping their offensive momentum rolling, scoring three runs on three hits, including a two-run homer by Cardoza, putting Monmouth up, 7-3, heading into the top of the seventh.

Wagner was unable to produce any base runners in their final at bats, as the Hawks' late-inning push gave Monmouth the game two win, 7-3.

Zwick was credited with the five-inning loss, giving up four runs on five hits, while striking out five.

The Green & White will head back home for their second NEC doubleheader of the Easter weekend, hosting the Bulldogs of Bryant tomorrow, Saturday, April 7^th. First pitch in that two-game set is slated for noon.