Monmouth Hawks defeat Seton Hall Pirates behind Lovarco's big day

Nick Lovarco drove in four runs and Aidan Bretschneider added two more as Monmouth defeated Seton Hall 6-3 in West Long Branch, N.J. The Hawks did their most critical damage in a pivotal late-inning frame that broke the game open, handing the Pirates yet another defeat in a difficult Big East season.

Lovarco was the story from the moment the Hawks stepped in the box, finishing 2-for-4 with four RBI to pace a Monmouth offense that never trailed after putting crooked numbers on the board. Bretschneider was equally dangerous, going 2-for-4 with two RBI, and Will Fahey contributed a 2-for-2 effort at the plate with two walks and an RBI. The production was spread across the lineup, but Lovarco and Bretschneider were the engine that drove it.

Seton Hall starter John Donahue was chased after two innings, allowing one run on one hit with a walk and a strikeout. Matt Pontari followed with two innings of one-run ball, and Jayden Barroqueiro and Stephen Curry each tossed two and one scoreless innings, respectively. But Derek Benzinger ran into serious trouble in his lone inning of work, surrendering four earned runs on four hits and two walks — the sequence that effectively ended the Pirates' chances of a comeback.

The Pirates showed some fight. Jake Lopez went 2-for-4, and Ryan Frontera drove in two runs with a hit to keep Seton Hall within reach at various points. Ryan Strnad and Frankie Scrivanic also reached base, and Nick Tomasetto scored a run from the bottom of the order to reflect a lineup that kept competing despite the deficit. Joe Marini drove in a run as well, giving the Pirates three across the board — just not enough against a Hawks squad that posted runs in bunches.

On the mound, Monmouth starter Nick Tamburro was serviceable across five innings, allowing four hits and three runs — none earned — while walking three and striking out one. The Hawks' bullpen was sharper: Brendan Kenneally struck out three across two scoreless innings, and Nick Hios worked a clean frame to close it out. David Horvath was touched for two earned runs in a third of an inning, but the damage came too late to matter in the outcome.

With the win, Monmouth improved to 16-13 in the Colonial Athletic Association, while Seton Hall dropped to 13-31 in Big East play — a mark that reflects a long and difficult season for the Pirates. The Hawks have now positioned themselves above the .500 threshold heading into the final weeks of the regular season, while Seton Hall will need to string together wins quickly if the program hopes to salvage any momentum before the conference tournament.