Little Falls, NJ – The Montclair State baseball team, ranked No. 2 in Division III closed out its regular-season with two more victories as the Red Hawks knocked off Ithaca College and Bridgewater State (MA) in the Lou Greco / John Cowan Memorial Tournament on Sunday afternoon.

The Red Hawks (34-4-1) used one big scoring inning to down Ithaca, 10-4. Sophomore BRIAN ELLERSON homered, drove in five runs and extended his hitting streak to 20 games as MSU completed the sweep with 13-6 win against Bridgewater State.

Ithaca (23-10) snapped a 1-1 tie in the fifth inning scoring three times, the big hit coming from Ron Amato, who plated two with a single. The Red Hawks answered with a nine-run inning, sending 12 batters to the plate.
An error, walk and hit batter loaded the bases for MSU, which got its first run on a fielder's choice by FRANK LONGO, who stole second. Ellerson singled in the field making the score 4-3 and Montclair reloaded the bases as FRANK FRANCIA drew a free pass. MARC HOUSER lined a single scoring two to give the Red Hawks the lead. Three batters later, Baran drove in two with a base hit for a 7-4 advantage. CRAIG CONWAY was plunked loading the bases for a third time in the inning and GEORGE GALLAGHER made it hurt with a bases-clearing single, upping the lead to 10-4.

Junior lefthander SCOTT ALLAN settled down and picked up the victory to improve to 7-0. Allan allowed four runs and eight hits in six innings, striking out four and walking five. Gallagher (two innings) and JIM WHALEN (one inning) closed out the game with three scoreless innings, fanning a combined five batters.
Houser went 4-for-4 with Ellerson finishing with two hits.

Bridgewater State (27-7) matched Montclair State through the first five innings and led 5-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth when the game took a bizarre turn of events. The Bears got the first two outs, however Longo kept the inning alive with a bunt single. The game was then halted as a propane tank on campus near Yogi Berra Stadium was dislodged causing a 25-minute delay.

The delay would work in Montclair's advantage as Ellerson drilled a two-run homer when the game resumed tying the game at 5-5. It also sparked (no pun intended) to a five-run sixth inning. Gallagher delivered a bases-loaded double with Ellerson a two-run double of his own giving the Red Hawks a 10-5 advantage.

Bridgewater State would get a run back in the top of the seventh, but Montclair answered with three in its half on a two-run single by Conway and an RBI base hit from Ellerson, his fifth run batted in.

Junior righthander STEVE TRONGONE (3-0) got the win in relief allowing a run in two innings of work. Ellerson recorded the final seven outs to earn his fourth save of the year.

Ellerson's current hitting streak is just one behind Tony Scarlatelli's 1974 record. The two wins also put head coach Norm Schoenig one victory away from his 400^th career win.

Next up for the Red Hawks, the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament, which gets underway on Friday, May 12 at Yogi Berra Stadium. MSU will be the No. 1 seed and squares off against fourth-seeded William Paterson at 4:00 pm.