AUBURNDALE, FL – The 25th-ranked Rowan University baseball team defeated #1 UMass Boston, 10-4 at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational on Sunday night.
It was the third win in a row for the Profs and the first loss of the season for the Beacons. Both teams are 6-1 overall.
Right-hander Danny Serreino (jr. Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) tossed five innings for the win (1-0). He allowed two runs on four hits and struck out six. Righty Ben Gottesman (so. Acton, MA/Acton-Boxborough) suffered the loss (1-1).
Left fielder Monny Strickland (sr. Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Egg Harbor Twp.) went three-for-five at the plate with a double, three RBIs and one run. First baseman Anthony Harrold (jr. Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) and third baseman Justin Provost (fr. Hackettstown, NJ/Pope John XXIII) each recorded two hits (four at bats), two RBIs and one run scored. Second baseman Alex Kokos (so. Wayne, NJ/Wayne Valley), shortstop Dillon Mendel (jr. Sparta, NJ/Sparta), catcher Zach Leach (so. Long Valley, NJ/Pope John XXIII) and Provost had one double apiece.
For UMass Boston, second baseman Dave Murphy (sr. Plymouth, MA/Massasoit Community College) was three-for-five with a home run and two RBIs. Left fielder Nick Herzog (jr. Riverhead, NY/Riverhead) and outfielder Joey Rogers (so. Dighton, MA/Dighton-Rehoboth) each knocked in one run. Shortstop Charlie Huegi (jr. Sandy Hook, CT/Newtown) scored twice.
Herzog put the Beacons on the board first with a sacrifice fly in the opening inning. Rowan responded with three runs in the bottom half of the frame and did not trail for the rest of the contest. Harrold singled home two runs and Strickland followed with a RBI base hit. The Profs posted four runs in the third. Kokos led off with a double, Harrold singled and Strickland drove both in with a double to left center. Strickland touched the plate on Mendel's base knock. Leach and Provost recorded back-to-back doubles for another run.
UMass Boston added a run in the fourth. Rogers hit a run-scoring single to right center. The Beacons had an opportunity to close the gap in the fifth with the bases loaded and one out. Serreino got himself out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts and Rowan maintained a 7-2 advantage.
Kokos registered a sac fly in the sixth to increase the lead to 8-2. Two hit batters with the bases juiced in the seventh made the score 10-2. Murphy ended the scoring with a two-run shot to center in the ninth.
The Profs face Mount St. Joseph University on Monday, March 12 at 1 p.m. in Auburndale, FL.