Appleton, WI – Defending champion Montclair State was eliminated from the NCAA Division 3 Baseball Championship yesterday, dropping a -2 decision to Marietta of Ohio at Fox Cities Stadium.

But the loss on the field will pale in comparison to the loss they will feel next year, when nine seniors, who contributed to four successful seasons will no longer take the field.

"What the seniors accomplished in four years is probably unparalleled," Montclair coach Norm Schoenig said. "They're outstanding people."

Schoenig was referring to CRAIG CONWAY, FRANK LONGO, DAVE WURST, JEFF SCHRIBER, SCOTT ALLAN, SCOTT CLARK and JIM WHALEN, who helped Montclair State to a second-place NCAA finish as freshmen, a national championship as juniors and this season's third-place finish.

"Other kids are going to come in and they're going to go out to third, second, other positions, but when they do, I'm always going to see these guys," Schoenig said. "They're great people. In my mind, they'll never be replaced."

Ultimately, a stagnant offense led to Montclair's downfall. The Red Hawks (38-11) scored on run Monday against Salisbury, and mustered just two runs on eight hits yesterday against Marietta starter Kris Buirley.

"They're a great group of kids, the same quality kids as last year," said Conway, who went 2-for-4. "It's a shame it didn't work out for us. Our pitching has been phenomenal, but it was disappointing our bats weren't as alive as they were last year."

Montclair scored in the top of the first inning, when Wurst walked went t second on Longo's sacrifice, took third on Conway's fly to right and scored on Allan's single to center.

Montclair stretched to lead the 2-0 in the fourth inning. Clark singled, went to second on a passed ball and took third on a GEORGE BECKER single. Clark then stole home on the tail end of a double steal in which Becker was thrown out at second.

Montclair did not advance a runner past first base the rest of the game, as Buirley, pitching on two days' rest, cruised.

"He was keeping us off balance a little bit," said Clark, who was 3-for-4. "He threw the off-speed, keeping it away."

RYAN COSTELLO started for Montclair State and cruised through the first five innings without much trouble. But the sixth and seventh innings proved to be Costello's downfall.

With one out in the sixth, Wurst dropped a Dusty Childress pop-up on a difficult play in shallow right field. Todd Timmer and Matt McLuckey singled to load the bases, and Jay Coakley followed with a monster shot high off the wall in dead center.

But the Pioneers scored just one run on play and Mike Deegan lined into a double play to end the inning.

"In retrospect, you're supposed to score more than one run off that," Schoenig said. "We were fortunate to get out of it with a two run lead."

They weren't so fortunate in the seventh.

Brent Curtain led off with a walk and Costello fell down fielding Derek Pauley's bunt attempt, resulting in an infield hit. Mike Menke's sacrifice moved the runners up a base.

Curtin scored on a passed ball, and Costello was pulled after he struck out Dre Coble. JASON ARRE relieved, but he walked Childress and gave up a run-scoring single by Timmer, one of his three hits.

"I felt good until I got to the sixth," Costello said. "I was throwing the ball where I wanted it, but they got those three or four hits in a row."

Costello gave up three runs – one earned – on five hits, with two walks and seven strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings. Arre was relieved in the ninth by Kevin Rakowski.

Buirley allowed just one earned run on eight hits, striking out 12 for Marietta, which loss to St. Thomas (MN), 8-4 in the national championship game late last night.