Grand Chute, WI - Despite two weather delays that chewed up more than two hours, the Montclair State University baseball team still made its point.

Of course the Red Hawks from northern New Jersey lile would've waited until dawn if it meant wrapping up the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship at Fox Cities Stadium.

Instead, Montclair State needed only until around 11:30 p.m. Tuesday to complete a title run that proved far more difficult, and therefore more fulfilling than it was probably meant to be.

In an impressive offensive explosion, the Red Hawks pounded out 13-3 and 6-2 wins over the University of St. Thomas to claim their third national title. Montclair State is the first team since the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1985 to lose its first game and come all the way back to the win the title. But that was a six-team field. In the eight years since the tournament went to eight teams, it has neve been done before.

"To come out of the loser's bracket and win it all, this was a real testament to these kids," Montclair State coach Norm Schoenig said. "They were not to be denied. They're survivors and they kept pluggin away.."

Montclair State entered the eight-team field  as the favorite.

But an opening-game loss to Cortland State sent the Red Hawks into the loser's bracket where they had to fight their way back.

The responded with wins over Emory University, Wartburg College and Allegheny College, setting up Tuesday's showdown with St. Thomas, which had gone 4-0 in the tournament.

But simply, it was never a contest.

Montclair State wasted no time establishing itself pounding out 19 hits in the first game and routing the Tommies.

St. Thomas second-game starter Mike Honsa didn't thing the strafing in game one had an adverse effect on his team in game two.

"It was a fresh start," said Honsa, who pitched well on short notice. "Everybody was still upbeat."

But in the pivotal second game, the Red Hawks, while not as dominant, were brutally efficient.

They made the most of their nine hits, stringing together five straight together in a four-run third inning to give Montclair State a 5-0 lead.

"They have better hitters than we do," St. Thomas coach Dennis Denning said. "They outhit us. We were short of bullets."

They also had to go up against sophomore left hander COREY HAMMAN, who wouldn't allow the Tommies to get anything going. He went the distance, allowing seven singles, one earned run, no walks and striking out five. In 15 1/3 tournament innings, Hamman allowed just one earned run and was named most valuable player.

"I didn't think about anything else except hitting my spots and throwing strikes," Hamman said. "In the past, I was more concerned with overpowering hitter. Against his level of competition, to give up one earned run, I can't even believe it."

It was the conclusion to a season that saw Montclair State have to await an NCAA at-large invitational to the Mid-Atlantic Regional, where it proceeded to win three straight to reach the national championship.

Then the Red Hawks had to bounce back from the opening loss to Cortland State. After that loss though, they outscored their opposition, 41-10.

"This is the best team I've ever been on," said junior third baseman CRAIG CONWAY, who went 5-for-8 with three RBI and three runs scored in the two games. "From one to nine in the lineup, there are no flaws."

In fact, every starter in both games for Montclair State had at least one RBI, excepted for catcher JEFF SCHRIBER, who was still named the all-tournament catcher.

"This is a special bunch of guys," said Schoenig, who was also coach when Montclair won its last title in 1993. It also won in 1987 and finished second to Eastern Connecticut in 1998.

For St. Thomas, this was th second straight year it finished second in the national championship. Last year, the Tommies fell to North Carolina Wesleyan, 1-0.

"It was tougher last year, Denning said. "That was a 1-0 game we could have won that one. This one, Montclair outplayed us."

ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM NAMED: Not surprisingly, the Red Hawks also dominated the all-tournament team. Leading the way was Hamman, the MVP, as an all-tournament pitcher. The other Montclair players were Schriber, Conway and outfielder FRANK LONGO. St. Thomas placed second baseman Jake Mauer and outfielder Tony Wolverton on the team. Other selections were first baseman Scott Seabury (Cortland State), outfielder Adam Olow (Chapman), designated hitter Brandon Maciel (Chapman) and pitcher Scott Swinchock (Allegheny.).