Little Falls, NJ (4/28/03) --The Montclair State University softball team, ranked seventh nationally in NCAA Division III, split a doubleheader today against The College of New Jersey at Quarry Field. The Red Hawks used an eight-run third inning to claim Game One, 11-3, and clinch a berth in the 2003 New Jersey Athletic Conference Softball Tournament. The visiting Lions then scored four times in the second inning of the rematch en route to a 6-2 victory to gain the series split. MSU is now 31-7 overall, and finished 12-6 in the NJAC for the third consecutive spring. TCNJ is now 23-11 on the year and ended up 10-8 in league play, but did not qualify for the NJACs. Montclair concluded the regular season winning 13 of its last 16 games.
TCNJ took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second in the opener before Montclair came back to tie the game in the bottom of the frame. The Red Hawks then led off the third inning with back-to-back home runs by junior first base DANA SPRAGUE (North Arlington, NJ) and senior catcher TONYA BARNES (Mechanicsville, VA) to take a 3-1 lead they would never relinquish, scoring six more times to take a 9-1 lead after three complete innings. Barnes finished 2-for-3 and drove in three runs, while Montclair sophomore 3B KARI McDONNELL (Wrightstown, NJ) belted her team-leading seventh home run of the season, increasing her school-record career total to 18 home runs. MSU junior pitcher CRYSTAL SWEENEY (Edison, NJ) picked up the win, striking out two batters and walking one while allowing just seven hits and two earned runs in raising her season record to 17-4. TCNJ sophomore hurler JESSICA DONOHUE (Highland Mills, NY) fell to 12-6 on the year, yielding 10 hits and six runs in 3.2 innings.
The visiting Lions used four hits and three MSU errors to take a 4-0 lead after two innings in the nightcap. Sophomore 3B CHRISTINA VENETUCCI (Monroe Township, NJ) started things off for TCNJ by singling through the left side and scoring off a pair of errors. Senior catcher JENNIFER KICHULA (Hightstown, NJ) collected two doubles and a run for TCNJ while driving home three runs in all. Freshman pitcher KELLY QUIGLEY (Pompton Lakes, NJ) improved to 5-4 on the year with the win, walking two batters and fanning one in an eight-hitter while also contributing two hits and a run offensively. Montclair State rookie thrower KERRY LEE (Florence, NJ) fell to 8-2 on the year after surrendering six hits and four runs in two innings.
Montclair State will begin play in the NJAC Tournament on Thursday, May 1. The Red Hawks finished third in the NJACs two years ago in their last appearance in Glassboro, NJ.
