In a CAA startup, Monmouth softball recorded three straight wins to begin conference play. Monmouth traveled down to Greensboro North Carolina to face North Carolina A & T for a weekend extravaganza for the Hawks. They locked in their first win of the weekend on Friday, Mar. 7, capping the game at five innings, after a season high 12 runs that led them to victory.
It was Monmouth’s pitching efforts in Saturday’s game that held the Aggies to just two runs in the contest. Junior Pitcher Jayla Cadena locked down three shutout innings in the circle just before sophomore pitcher Olivia Lewis threw four scoreless frames. The first run for the Hawks came in the first inning before senior outfielder Lexi Castaneda extended Monmouth’s lead to 3-0 after driving in two runs in the third. Sophomore infielder Liv Smith added an RBI single, tacking on another run, and the final run of the game.
In Sunday’s matchup, five runs in the first inning gave Monmouth the tempo they needed to secure their third win over the Aggies. North Carolina A&T fought to take the lead and did so successfully leading by two, 7-5, in the fifth inning. Monmouth returned the favor, scoring six runs in the top of the sixth to take their lead back and continue their winning streak.
Since then, the Hawks have played nine games, traveling from Pennsylvania to New Jersey, and back to North Carolina where their most recent conference games, against Elon, resulted in three losses.
The Hawks will look to bounce back at Saint Joseph’s today Mar. 26 before they are on their home field for the following two weeks.
