Little Falls, NJ – Montclair State was home Friday. And not just because the Red Hawks were playing in Yogi Berra Stadium.

Montclair was hosting the New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball tournament. Since the current four-team format was adopted in 1990, the Red Hawks haven't missed an NJAC tourney.
Conversely, Ramapo was making its first appearance in the NJAC under this format. Montclair showed the Roadrunners that experience counts.

RYAN COSTELLO threw a four-hitter and struck out 12 and the Red Hawks amassed 12 hits en route to a 5-1 victory on the opening day of the double-elimination NJAC tournament. Regular-season champion Montclair (28-9) will play William Paterson (22-10-1) in a winner's bracket game today at 3 p.m. The Pioneers defeated College New Jersey, 11-3.

Ramapo (25-14) will face TCNJ (21-11-1) in an elimination game at 11 a.m.

"Hopefully we'll be able to prepare better (for today)," Ramapo coach Rich Martin said. "You have to experience it."

While Ramapo was entering uncharted waters, Montclair was hoping to erase some bad memories. Last season, the Red Hawks entered the tournament as the regular-season champ and were ousted in two games. They still received an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III tournament and eventually won the national title. But they would rather make selection day less nerve wrecking.
"It's really big," shortstop BRIAN ELLERSON said. "It's very important to get that first one."

And it was important for Montclair to get Ellerson back in the lineup. The junior shortstop hadn't played since suffering an injury to his right knee against Ramapo on April 21. But he was fitted for a brace Wednesday, practiced Thursday, and was ready to go Friday. He went 2-for-4, including a leadoff double in the second. He then scored Montclair's first run on a SCOTT CLARK sacrifice fly
"The doctors said if I felt up to it I could go out and play," Ellerson said. "I would say I'm about 85 percent."

Ellerson said that he would be examined by Giants team physician Dr. Russell Warren Monday.

Montclair State head coach Norm Schoenig said that Ellerson has been examined by a doctor in Jersey City earlier in the week, and that Ellerson was told that he risked further damage if he continued playing. But Schoenig said that Ellerson "felt good and decided he wanted to play."

Ellerson didn't see much action in the field, handling his only two chances flawlessly. That's because Costello, who struck out 12 against Ramapo while getting a no-decision on April 21, repeated the feat. Despite the fact that he had trouble throwing his curveball for strikes. "When he gets the ball where he wants to put it, he's tough," Schoenig said of Costello (4-0).

Costello got all the offensive support he needed in the third inning. A SCOTT ALLAN RBI double gave the Red Hawks a 2-0 lead, and Clark followed with a two-run single to make it 4-0. Ramapo starter Tim O'Shaughnessy (5-2) allowed eight hits and four runs over three-plus innings. MSU's GEORGE BECKER added an RBI single off reliever Scott Joffe in the sixth.

"It's always nice to win the first one," Schoenig said. "It doesn't really matter what happened during the regular season. If you don't win the first one it's a long uphill struggle."