Monmouth Knocks Off Quinnipiac Behind Singer's Strong Effort
MAAC Sports
LAKEWOOD, N.J. – Junior lefty Jeff Singer scattered five hits and struck out six in a complete game effort as the fifth-seeded Monmouth University baseball team won its second game of the elimination bracket on Friday, defeating No. 4 seed Quinnipiac University 5-3 in the 2014 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship at FirstEnergy Park.
The Hawks (24-24) will now face No. 2 seed Siena at 8:30 p.m. Friday. The loss was Quinnipiac’s (18-31) second in the championship, and eliminated the Bobcats.
Singer allowed just one earned run and set Quinnipiac down in order in four of nine innings. Singer, a transfer from Gloucester Community College who was the 2013 National Player of the Year, raised his record to 5-3. He threw 118 pitches in the game, which lasted 2:17, a start contrast from the Hawks first win of the day, the 15 inning affair against Manhattan that last 5:10.
Monmouth got off to an early 3-0 lead in the top of the first. Grant Lamberton led off with a walk, followed by a base hit by Steve Wiulgus. Jake Gronsky then singled to plate Lamberton, with Wilgus advancing to third. Wilgus scored on a wild pitch, and Gronsky scored on Danny Avella’s sacrifice fly.
The Hawks added two more runs in the top of the third when Wilgus and Gronsky opened the inning with consecutive hits. After Craig Sweeney struck out, Avella’s single drove in Wilgus, and an errant throw allowed Gronsky to score.
Quinnipiac was limited to solo runs in the first and the fifth, with freshman shortstop Matthew Batten playing a prominent role in each tally. In the first, Batten scored the Bobcats’ first run when he reached on a single and scored on an error. In the fifth, Mike Blumenthal singled, and advanced on a walk and sacrifice bunt, and then scored on Batten’s sacrifice fly to right.
Wilgus had three hits and scored twice for Monmouth, while Gronsky added two runs, two hits and a RBI. Kyle Perry had three hits for the Hawks, following his four-hit effort in the first game.
Batten had two hits and scored a run for the Bobcats. Starting pitcher Nick Fabrizio when 6.1 innings and absorbed the loss for Quinnipiac.