Baseball Drops Two to Monmouth In Northeast Conference Doubleheader

(boxscore Game 1)
(boxscore Game 2)

4/1/06 -- The Long Island University baseball team dropped a pair of Northeast Conference games to Monmouth, 14-0 and 8-1, on Saturday afternoon at LIU Field.

Senior Matt Martino (Staten Island, N.Y.) provided the lone offensive bright spot for the Blackbirds (4-14-1, 1-4 NEC), accounting for the only LIU run of the day on an inside-the-park home run to center field in the fourth inning of game two.

In game one, the Blackbirds threatened to take the lead in the first. Junior Robbie Rowen (Rosendale, N.Y.) laced a two-out double down the right field line with two outs. Fellow classmate Marcus Wynn (Plainfield, N.J.) followed with an infield single to the left side to put runners on first and third. Hawks starting pitcher Joe Cummings, a lefthander, caught Wynn straying too far off the bag at first and the Blackbirds rally attempt was defused.

Monmouth (11-10, 5-0 NEC) scored a pair of unearned runs in the third inning to take a lead it would not relinquish. Three more runs came in the fifth for the Hawks, courtesy of a three-run, opposite field home run by left-handed hitting shortstop Nick Massari. Massari would homer again, this time to right, as part of a nine-run seventh inning that put the game away.

Junior Rich Moran (Carmel, N.Y.) suffered the loss, dropping his record to 1-5 on the season. Senior Sean Durkin (Damascus, Md.) tallied a pair of singles for LIU.

The Hawks bats stayed hot in game two, as they jumped out to a commanding 7-0 advantage after the first two innings. Patrick Sullivan had an RBI single in the first and connected on a one-run double to left center in the second to put Monmouth on top to stay.

After relieving starter John Dooley (Deer Park, N.Y.) in the second, junior hurler Mike Maynard (Staten Island, N.Y.) settled down and pitched well, allowing only a solo home run over the final five frames of the game.

Sophomore Danny Pirillo (Marlboro, N.Y.) and senior catcher Tim Doherty (Newark, Del.) had two hits apiece in for the Blackbirds.

Massari led the Hawks offense all day, finishing 4-for-7 with two home runs, four runs scored and four runs batted in.

LIU and Monmouth square off in the finale of their Northeast Conference weekend series on Sunday, April 2 at 12:00 p.m.