WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Monmouth Hawks posted a five-run seventh inning to pull away from the North Carolina A&T baseball team and capture a 14-4 win in seven innings at MU Baseball Field on Thursday.
The Aggies, who now face two remaining regular-season games, slipped to 13-37 overall and 4-24 in Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play. Monmouth has secured a spot in the 2026 CAA Baseball Championship Tournament out of the CAA North Division, as Chris Walsh, Wyatt Hunt, and Jimmy Bruno each drove in three runs to boost their record to 28-20 overall and 19-9 in league play.
Freshman right-handed starter Joshau Hauser (L, 0-2) navigated the first inning unscathed. The Aggies struck first in the second when junior
Marcus Bradshaw sparked a rally with a bunt single, but was thrown out attempting to steal. Sophomore
JT Taylor kept the threat alive by drawing a walk from Monmouth RHP Ryan Mealy (W, 5-4).
Sophomore
Reginald Tuggle III launched a two-run home run to left field, giving the Aggies a 2-0 advantage with his third homer of the season. After Tuggle's long ball, Mealy put senior
Kristian Amaro on base by hitting him with a 2-0 pitch. The Aggies continued to capitalize.
Freshman
Ryan Allen ripped a double to set up runners on second and third for senior
Nick DiCarlo, whose sacrifice fly to right field brought Amaro home for a three-run A&T lead. After sophomore
Bruce Wyche ended the inning with a flyout, Hauser returned to the mound and worked around a two-out single to keep the Hawks scoreless once more. His luck shifted in the third inning.
Walsh ripped an RBI double, followed by Brendan Buecker hitting a two-run double to tie the game at 3-3. Monmouth surged ahead in the fourth when Walsh struck again with a two-run double. Colin Ritcher, who had singled before Walsh's double, advanced to third and then scored as Hunt grounded out, pushing the Hawks to a 6-3 advantage.
The Aggies answered Monmouth's six unanswered runs in the visitors' fifth. Wyche reached on a two-out infield single and then hustled to third when senior
Andrew Tinsley reached on an error. Sophomore
Savoi Edwards then delivered an RBI single, driving Wyche home to trim Monmouth's lead to 6-4. However, Monmouth tacked on more runs in the bottom half of the inning.
Monmouth tacked on runs with an RBI double from Jimmy Bruno. Aidan Bretschneider delivered another RBI double to stretch Monmouth's lead to four runs. In the sixth, Simmi Whitehill produced an additional RBI double, making it 9-4 Hawks. With no answer from A&T in the visitors' seventh, Monmouth sealed the win by scoring five runs in their half to end the game via the mercy rule.
Colin Ritcher and Hunt contributed two-run singles in the inning. The game ended when Whitehill raced home on a wild pitch, granting the Hawks the 10-run margin needed to close out the contest. Tuggle and Tinsley each tallied two hits for A&T, with Tuggle also driving in two runs.
Game 2 of the series is 2 p.m., Friday at MU Baseball Field.
