For the first time in a week, it wasn't in anger.
Monahan's single up the middle in the bottom of the eighth tied the game and James Clifford's pinch-hit sacrifice fly one pitch later provided the winning margin as the Lancaster JetHawks beat San Bernardino 8-7 Wednesday night at The Hangar.
Facing Rich Linares, the Stampede's closer, Monahan fouled off three pitches before his hit.
"I was looking for a curveball," Monahan said. "I was trying to slap it, hit a fly ball. (The ball) snuck through, and I was happy."
Since going 3-for-5 against Lake Elsinore on April 23, Monahan had four hits in his last 30 at-bats (.133) before hitting an infield single in the seventh.
"My little dink to third base loosened me up a little bit," he said. "I was in a hole. What was I, 1-for-40? That's what you call a slump right there."
After being given the night off against San Bernardino's left-handed starter Dennis Reyes, and also nursing a sore wrist, Clifford was pinch-hitting for Scot Sealy.
His liner to center fielder Eddie Davis provided more than enough room for Jason Cook to score the go-ahead run.
"Sealy said (Linares) will come right after you on the first pitch," Clifford said. "I just tried to hit it on the barrel, and it worked out."
Lancaster reliever Tom Szimanski got a double-play ball in the ninth and struck out Cliff Anderson to get his first win of the year.
The JetHawks (18-9) moved 1½ games ahead of the Stampede (16-10) in the California League's Southern Division.
The Stampede had taken a 7-5 lead in the top of the eighth with three runs, including Anderson's solo homer to right, one of four San Bernardino homers in the game.
Lancaster's Marcus Sturdivant got things going early, singling on Reyes' second pitch of the game.
Cook followed with a hit-and-run single through the hole on the right side, and Monahan walked to load the bases.
After Scot Sealy struck out, Carlos Villalobos stroked a single to left to drive in Sturdivant with the first run.
Reyes came back to get a forceout on Villalobos at second and struck out Jesus Marquez to end the threat.
The Stampede tied the game in the second on Scott Richardson's second homer of the season, a solo shot to left field.
Shawn Buhner's double to right field drove in Villalobos in the third to give Lancaster a 2-1 lead.
But Kyle Cooney hit the second Stampede homer of the night off Lancaster starter Marino Santana, also to left field, and San Bernardino tied the game at two.
Buhner and Dusty Wathan hit back-to-back doubles in the sixth to key a two-run rally by Lancaster.
Buhner led off with a drive off the right-field wall near the manual scoreboard, and one out later Wathan ripped a hit down the leftfield line to score Buhner.
Sturdivant added a two-out single to right to drive in Wathan and give the JetHawks a 4-2 lead.
With 93 pitches under his belt in the game, Santana went out to pitch the seventh. After giving up Cooney's homer in the fourth, the 23-year-old Dominican had retired nine in a row.
But Tito Landrum hit the second pitch of the inning over the left-field wall. San Bernardino's third solo homer of the game tied the game made it 4-3.