Newark, NJ (04/18/04) - Senior righthander CRYSTAL SWEENEY (Edison, NJ/Edison HS) tossed a three-hitter in the opener and became the career leader in strikeouts at Montclair State to highlight a 6-0 and 4-0 New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep on Alumni Field on Sunday afternoon

The Red Hawks (22-6, NJAC 9-5) ran their winning streak to six games by posting their third and fourth consecutive shutouts behind the pitching of Sweeney and sophomore ATHANASIA TOTARO (Roseland, NJ/West Essex).

Sweeney fanned six, walked two and yielded just three singles to push her career strikeout total to 383 and break a tie with Robyn Baron (1994-96) at 377 for the record as MSU breezed in the opener. Totaro gave up just five hits, striking out four and walking one, as the Red Hawks won game two.

Junior third baseman KARI MCDONNELL (Wrightstown, NJ/Northern Burlington) lofted her seventh home run of the season over the leftfield fence to open game one and provide MSU with all the offense that it needed. Junior second baseman NICOLE PACICCO (Tinton Fall, NJ/Monmouth Regional) added a 2-run homer down the leftfield line in the sixth. Senior first baseman DANA SPRAGUE (North Arlington, NJ/North Arlington) capped a 3-run third with a 2-run single to left centerfield.

Freshman leftfielder Jenna Valentine (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) got an infield single in the first and a single to left in the fourth while freshman shortstop Jenn Raido (Secaucus, NJ/St. Mary's) got the other Raider hit in the sixth.

In game two, Sprague broke open a tight battle in the fifth with a towering 3-run homer over the leftfield fence to up the MSU lead to 4-0.

The Red Hawks were nursing a 1-0 lead which came in the second when senior rightfielder ALLISON KREISS (Lakewood, NJ/Lakewood) tripled to lead off the inning and scored on a single to center by junior leftfielder MEGAN SWEENEY (Edison, NJ/Edison).

Raido collected three of the Raiders' five hits in game two. Rutgers-Newark (12-19, NJAC 0-14) fell despite getting a pair of 6-hitters from freshman Ashley Heaney (Ocean Township, NJ/Mater Dei) and sophomore Katie Wheelan (North Plainfield, NJ/North Plainfield).

The Red Hawks return to action on Tuesday, April 20 as they host the Cougars of Kean University in an NJAC doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 pm following festivities for the official "Grand Opening" of the new Montclair State University Softball Stadium.