Mahwah, NJ (5/1/03) --The Montclair State University softball team, ranked seventh nationally in NCAA Division III, advanced to the second round of the 2003 NJAC Championships with a 4-2 victory today over second-seeded William Paterson University. The third-seeded Red Hawks hit four home runs for the second time in one game this season to account for all of their runs this afternoon, and will now face top-seeded host Ramapo College on Friday, May 2, at 1:30 p.m. in the second round of the NJACs. Ramapo defeated fourth-seeded Rutgers-Camden, 2-1, in extra innings in the first NJAC game played today.

MSU junior shortstop DIANA AUTERI (Lyndhurst, NJ) got the Red Hawks going by belting a 3-1 pitch over the left center fence to give Montclair a 1-0 lead in the first at-bat of the contest. It was the fourth homer of the year for Auteri, last week's NJAC Player of the Week. Sophomore 3B KARI McDONNELL (Wrightstown, NJ) followed up with a solo shot to right field two batters later for her team-leading eighth homer of the season and a 2-0 MSU lead. The opposing Lady Pioneers would score twice in the bottom of the first on a hit, an error, and a double steal to tie the game at 2-2.

MSU freshman DP ATHANASIA TOTARO (Roseland, NJ) put the Red Hawks on top for good with a blast to left field for her fourth homer this spring, and finished 3-for-4 at the plate. Junior 1B DANA SPRAGUE (North Arlington, NJ) then clouted her third round-tripper in the next at-bat of the campaign to left center to close out the scoring and send MSU on to the second round.

Junior pitcher CRYSTAL SWEENEY (Edison, NJ) improved to 18-4 this season after allowing just three hits and one earned run while walking one WPU batter and striking out six Lady Pioneers. Diana Catalano, who replaced WPU starter Sam Kszepka following MSU's first two home runs today, took the loss in falling to 9-5 this year as Montclair recorded eight total hits against three different WPU pitchers.

A win tomorrow against Ramapo would propel MSU into Saturday's NJAC Championship game at noon. The loser of tomorrow's MSU-Ramapo game will play the winner of tomorrow's WPU-Camden 11 a.m. match at 4:30 p.m. (following MSU-Ramapo).