Red Foxes Baseball Sweeps DH at Monmouth

WEST LONG BRANCH – Behind a combined 11 runs scored and 19 hits, the Marist baseball team picked up a huge doubleheader sweep with 5-4 and 7-1 wins over the Monmouth Hawks on Saturday. With the two wins, Marist picks up its third Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference series win of the year, two games to one.

The Red Foxes now stand at 17-14 (7-5 MAAC), while the Hawks drop to 11-20 (6-6 MAAC).

In the day’s opening game, redshirt junior Greg Kocinski led Marist with one hit, a home run, one run scored and three RBI, while redshirt freshman Tyler Kapuscinski picked up two hits and two runs scored. Junior Andrew Rouse finished with two hits and one run scored, redshirt senior Matt Pagano picked up two hits, sophomore Anthony Lazar finished with one hit and one run scored and sophomore Frankie Gregoire finished with one RBI.

On the mound, junior Charlie Jerla picked up his fourth win, throwing six and one third innings, while giving up three runs on nine hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. Senior Ryan Thomas pitched one third of an inning and gave up no runs on one hit and junior Mike Coss picked up his second save of the year, pitching one third of an inning and giving up no runs on one hit with one walk and one strikeout.

In the second game, senior Tyler Kirkpatrick led the Red Foxes with one hit, a home run, one run scored and three RBI, while Kocinski finished with three hits, two runs scored and two RBI to give him a six game hitting streak. Kapuscinski picked up two hits and one run scored to extend his hitting streak to 10 games, Gregoire finished with two hits and one run scored and sophomore Randy Taveras and redshirt sophomore Chris Tracz picked up two hits and one run scored each. Rouse finished with one hit.

On the hill, redshirt junior Scott Boches picked up his fourth win, pitching seven and two thirds innings while giving up one run on four hits with two walks and six strikeouts and senior John Parisi threw one and one third innings of no run one hit ball with one walk and one strikeout.

Game 1:

For the third consecutive game, the Red Foxes opened their scoring in the first inning when Kapuscinski and Rouse led off with back-to-back singles. Two batters later, Kocinski smashed a three run home run to right and Marist was ahead 3-0.

Two innings later, a Kapuscinski lead off double to right center was followed with a Rouse sac bunt that advanced Kapuscinski to third. Gregoire hit an RBI sac fly to center field that scored Kapuscinski and the Red Fox lead was 4-0.

In the top of the fifth, Lazar led off with a single to left center and two batters later, Rouse doubled down the left field line to set up men on second and third with one out. Gregoire was intentionally walked to load the bases and during the next at bat, a passed ball allowed Lazar to score which gave Marist the 5-0 advantage.

Monmouth made some noise in their last at bat in the bottom of the seventh. John LaRocca pinch hit and led off with a double down the left field line. Two batters later, Grant Lamberton walked to set up men on first and second and Shaine Hughes followed with an RBI single to right, scoring LaRocca. Thomas replaced Jerla on the mound and got the next batter to fly out to left field for the second out before Peter Papcun singled to right, scoring Lamberton to make it 5-2 Red Foxes. JP Walsh pinch ran for Papcun, and Coss replaced Thomas on the hill, before Hughes advanced to third on a wild pitch and Tom Jakubowski walked to load the bases. Clay Koniencki followed with an RBI single to right, scoring Walsh and Hughes and advancing Jakubowski to third. However, with the tying run on third, Coss got the next batter to strikeout out, preserving the 5-4 Marist victory.

Game 2:

The Red Foxes got on the board in the third inning when Tracz walked and Kapuscinsk singled two batters later. After a fly out, Gregoire walked to load the bases and Kocinski followed with a two RBI single up the middle, before Kirkpatrick smoked a three run home run to left to give Marist the 5-0 lead.

The Hawks got one back in the bottom of the fifth when Justin Trochiano singled through the left side to lead off. Two batters later, Lamberton singled to left, advancing Trochiano to third, Hughes followed with a hit by pitch to load the bases and Shea hit an RBI sac fly to right, scoring Trochiano and to trim the deficit to 5-1.

Taveras led off the sixth with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a Tracz sac bunt. Lazar followed with an RBI sac fly to center, scoring Taveras for the 6-1 Red Fox lead.

Three innings later in its final at bat of the game, Marist added one more to its lead when Kocinski singled to left center, advanced to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a wild pitch and then stole home for the 7-1 advantage.

Monmouth tried to rally in the bottom of the ninth and got a lead off double from Jakubowski but a strike out swinging and a pop up to the shortstop set up the man on second with two outs. Jakubowski advanced to third on a wild pitch and Trochiano walked but Parisi got the next batter to ground out to second to give the Red Foxes the 7-1 win for the doubleheader sweep and 2-1 series victory.

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