Couture's Complete Game Keeps Monmouth Alive With 7-2 Win Over Charleston
Rob Washburn
Box Score
WILMINGTON, N.C. (May 21, 2026) – Third-seeded Monmouth got a stellar complete-game pitching performance from senior Alec Couture and rallied from an early two-run deficit to defeat #4 Charleston, 7-2, in Game 3 of the 2026 CAA Baseball Championship on Thursday afternoon at Brooks Field.
The victory, which was Monmouth’s first-ever in the CAA Tournament, kept the Hawks (30-22) alive in the event while Charleston’s season came to an end with a 28-28 mark. Monmouth will be back in action at 11 a.m. on Friday in another elimination contest.
Couture (6-3) surrendered a run in each of the first two innings, but was in control after that, allowing just four singles and no runs over the final seven frames. He struck out six and didn’t issue a walk while recording the first nine-inning complete game of his career.
The Hawks had seven different players contribute a hit, with Nick Lovarco and Jimmy Bruno driving in two runs apiece. For Charleston, catcher Dylan Johnson was 2-for-4 with a solo homer.
Monmouth broke open a 2-2 contest with a five-run fifth. The Hawks loaded the bases with one out and Brendan Buecker delivered an RBI single up the middle. Lovarco followed with a double down the left-field line that brought in two, and Bruno capped the offensive surge with a two-run base hit to center that gave the Hawks a 7-2 advantage.
After being held scoreless on Wednesday, Charleston wasted no time getting the bats going against the Hawks. Johnson launched his fifth homer of the season over the wall in left to put the Cougars up 1-0 in the first. CofC added another run in the second after Braeden Smith led off the frame with a double to left and scored on Landon Penfield’s sacrifice fly.
Monmouth plated its first two runs of the tournament in the bottom of the third to even the contest. The Hawks put a pair of runners in scoring position following a Colin Richter walk and a Wyatt Hunt double off the wall in right-center. An errant throw to the plate by Cougars’ pitcher Kurt Rogers on Simmi Whitehill’s sacrifice bunt allowed both runners to come home and tie game at 2-2.