Glassboro, NJ – The Montclair State baseball team extended its winning streak to 10 games with a Game 1 victory but saw that snapped in the nightcap as the Red Hawks split their NJAC doubleheader with Rowan University on Saturday.
Senior right-hander
GREG BELSON tossed a complete game as the MSU (13-3-1, 3-1 NJAC) captured the first game 5-3 before the Profs (14-3, 3-1 NJAC) posted a 6-3 triumph behind three hits and two RBI by Tim Staszewski.
Belson improved to 4-0 on the year as he allowed three run and eight hits, striking out eight and walking three. Josh Laxton (1-2) took the loss for Rowan.
The Profs jumped on Belson for three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Andy Dougherty launched a two-run homer to left field and Michael Braender added an RBI single.
Montclair would chip away at the lead, starting in the third as sophomore right fielder
CHRIS BARAN singled to right scoring catcher
JEFF SCHRIBER. The Red Hawks tied the game in the sixth.
FRANK LONGO led off with a base hit and
FRANK FRANCIA followed with a double. After a walk to
BRIAN ELLERSON, senior left fielder
MARC HOUSER lofted a sacrifice fly scoring Longo. With runners at second and third, the Red Hawks pulled off a double steal with Francia scoring on an error knotting the game at 3-3.
MSU took the lead in the seventh as Longo doubled to left center with two outs bringing home Gallagher with the go-ahead run. Montclair added an insurance run in the eighth. Ellerson doubled to lead off the inning, went to third on a sacrifice and scored on a Schriber single.
Meanwhile, Belson settled down and allowed only one base runner to reach third base the rest of the game. That came in the sixth when the Profs put runners at the corners with two outs. The right-hander fanned the next batter to end the threat. He then faced the minimum batters over the final three innings as the Red Hawks turned a pair of double plays in the process.
Longo finished 4-for-4 with Baran going 3-for-5 at the plate. Schriber finished with two hits.
In the second game, MSU led 1-0 in third as Francia scored on a throwing error. Braender tied the game in the bottom of the half with a sac fly and the Profs took the lead, 2-1 in the fourth on a sac fly by Bill Johnson.
Ellerson tied the game in the sixth with an RBI single, however Staszewski answered with a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame, putting Rowan back on top, 4-2. Doug Scott tripled in a run in the seventh and Dougherty's RBI single pushed the lead to 6-2.
MSU got a run back in the ninth inning on a sacrifice fly by
SCOTT ALLAN, but that's as close as the Red Hawks would get as Jim Gendaszek retired the final hitter to end the game.
Brad Bahring (2-0) got the win as he went the first 8 1/3 innings allowing three runs (one earned) and six hits. He struck out six and walked two. Sophomore
COREY HAMMAN (2-1) took the loss.
Gallagher and Ellerson accounted for four of MSU's seven hits in the contest.
Montclair State returns to action on Wednesday, April 5 with a non-conference contest at Division II Adelphi University in Garden City, NY.
