The Monmouth Hawks returned back to West Long Branch looking for their first win of the season after going 0-5 at the Spartan Classic in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Monmouth began their weekend in a double header matchup, first facing Akron at 10 A.M. on Feb. 7, and Bowling Green at 5:30 P.M.
Junior infielder/outfielder Mackenzie Bloss’s RBI double plated a run, getting Monmouth on the board in the first inning. This was Monmouth’s one and only run of the game, in the 7-1 loss for the Hawks. Akron got their first two runs of the game in the second inning and added five more in the fifth. Sophomore pitcher Izzy Bonaccio made her season debut, pitching four innings, while junior pitcher Jayla Cadena threw for the other three.
The Hawks went on to face Bowling Green later in the day, showing their resilience in a one point game. Monmouth had am impressive offensive performance with 10 hits. Freshman outfielder Kylee McLain started it off for the Hawks as she went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs. The Hawks continued to battle until the very last inning where they plated two runs in the final inning but came up short one run to finalize the score at 5-4.
The Hawks went head-to-head with Akron and Bowling Green for a second time on Feb. 8. Six scored runs in the first inning and five in the fourth inning solidified Akron’s strong offense that Monmouth was unable to shut down. The game was called after five innings and the final score stood at 11-2.
Sophomore infielder Giana Scotti scored Monmouth’s lone run of the game against Bowling Green, as Bowling Green scored nine in total.
The last game of the classic fell on Sunday Feb. 9 against USC Upstate where Monmouth’s offensive output was strong with nine hits but were unable to put any runs on the board. USC Upstate were able to capitilaze on certain oppurtunites, capturing the win 8-0.
The Hawks will travel to Las Vegas, Nevada this weekend Feb. 14 for the UNLV Rebel Classic.
