April 29, 2006

Box Score

BRIDGEPORT, CT - Junior Rob Tencza (Meriden, CT) drove home all three runs, including the winning one in the eighth inning and junior hurler Jay Monti (Marlboro, NY) allowed just two unearned runs to help the Sacred Heart University baseball team knock off Monmouth University in the first game of a Northeast Conference doubleheader Saturday night.

Monmouth, 25-12 overall and 12-1 in the NEC, took a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning. Senior catcher Mike Hussa led off the inning with an infield single. He went to second on a passed ball and third when the throw to second went into the outfield. He scored on a sacrifice fly to right by Pat Sullivan.

The Hawks made it 2-0 in the sixth thanks to a pair of SHU errors. With one out, Andy Myers reached on an error by the first baseman. He went to second on a two-out single by Rick Niederhaus and then stole third to put runners on the corners. Chris Collazo then hit a ground ball to the second baseman that was misplayed, allowing Myers to score.

Sacred Heart senior Dave Kaloyanides (Reading, MA) made what may have been a game-saving catch in the fifth inning for the Pioneers. With two on and two out, Hussa hit a ball to deep left center. Kaloyanides raced after it and made the catch diving head-first onto the warning track with his back to home plate.

In the meantime, Monmouth starter Matt Coulson cruised through the first five innings. Pete Kandybowicz and Bobby McKee singled to lead off the sixth and Coulson was lifted in favor of junior Justin Esposito. He struck out the first two batters he faced but an infield hit by Jeff Hanson (Woodstock, NY) loaded the bases with two outs. Tencza the hit a ball up the middle that deflected off second baseman Collazo's glove into center to plate two runs and tie the game at 2-2.

After a scoreless seventh for both teams, Monti shut down the Hawks in the top of the eighth. In the bottom of the inning, junior Jason Maiella led off with a single to right off reliever Kevin Schneider. Hanson sacrificed him to second and Tencza drove him home with a double to the gap in left center.

Monti, now 5-3, allowed six hits and the two unearned runs. He struck out ten without issuing a walk and threw 121 pitches.

The loss snapped an 11-game winning streak for Monmouth.