Little Falls, NJ - Freshman lefthander
JAIRO MENDEZ (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) tossed a complete game in the opener and Greg D'Alessandro (Verona, NJ/Verona) came off the bench to drive in four runs in the nightcap as 30th-ranked Montclair State swept a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader from Rutgers-Newark at Yogi Berra Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Montclair rallied for a 6-1 win in the first game before pounding out 21 hits in the second for a 17-7 triumph.
The sweep helped the Red Hawks (22-11) lock up the No. 2 seed in the NJAC Baseball Championship, which begins on Friday, May 7 at Waterfront Park (home of the Trenton Thunder) in Trenton, NJ.
MSU will face rival and third-seeded William Paterson in the second game on Friday at 4:00 pm. Both Montclair and William Paterson (23-12, 11-6 NJAC) have one conference game remaining on Monday, however should the teams finished tied the Red Hawks would win the tiebreaker by virtue of their sweep of the Pioneers during the regular season.
Matt Haliigan (Pompton Plains, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) had three hits, including a two-run home run for the Scarlet Raiders, who fell to 17-21 overall and finished 7-11 in the NJAC.
In game one, Rutgers-Newark righthander Travis Bilak (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) no-hit Montclair State through the first seven innings and led 1-0 before
ANTHONY MASSONI (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's Boys (NY)) broke up the bid with a lined single to lead off the eighth. Pinch-hitter
MATT BENEDETTI (Summit, NJ/Summit) walked before
DANNY RODRIGUEZ (Monmouth, NJ/So. Brunswick) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pinch-hitter
TOMMY WARTH (Secaucus, NJ/Secaucus) tied the game with a single to left and the Red Hawks took the lead as
MIKE HALLIGAN (Pompton Plains, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) singled to left bringing home Bendetti.
BRIAN BUTLER (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) walked to force in another and Warth scored on double-play as Montclair State led 4-1.
That would be all Mendez would need as he tossed his first collegiate complete game and improved to 6-1. He allowed six hits, struck out five, walked two and even helped his own cause in the ninth (MSU was designated as the visiting team for the two games) as he collected an RBI single in his first at-bat of the season.
MIKE HALLIGAN accounted for the final Montclair run with an RBI single.
Bilak (3-3), who face just two batters over the minimum through the first seven innings and retired 13 consecutive batters at one point, took the loss (3-3). He allowed the four runs and two hits with six strikeouts and two walks. David Sica (Lyndhurst, NJ/Lyndhurst) accounted for the Scarlet Raider's lone run with a sacrifice fly in the third inning.
In game two, Matt Halligan gave Rutgers-Newark a 2-0 lead in the first as he belted a two-run homer over the rightfield fence. The Scarlet Raiders extended the lead to 3-1 in the second, but Montclair State tied the score at 3-3 in the third as Warth answered with a two-run homer.
Montclair State then took the lead for good with three runs in fourth. Rodriguez put MSU in front with an RBI single and Butler plated a run with a base hit as the Red Hawks led 5-3.
ETHAN BOYD (Perth Amboy, NJ/Perth Amboy) followed with an RBI single for a three-run advantage.
Montclair extended the lead to 9-3 in the fifth with three more runs, two coming on a double by
ROB BLACKBURN (Sussex, NJ/Vernon) while Butler lofted a sacrifice fly.
SHAWN ELLERSON (Bayonne, NJ/Bayonne) picked up the win as he went the first six innings allowing three runs and five hits. Ellerson (3-2) struck out four and walked two. D'Alessandro finished 2-for-2 as he collected an RBI single in the seventh, a two run single in the eighth and a sacrifice fly in the ninth. Benedetti was 4-for-5 while Blackburn had three RBI.
Matt Halligan finished 2-for-3 for Rutgers-Newark, which also got two RBI from John Farmer (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) and Robert Biagiotti (Cliffside Park, NJ/Cliffside Park).
The Red Hawks finish conference play on Monday, May 3 as they meet Ramapo College in Mahwah at 3:30 pm. MSU is then scheduled to play at Salisbury on Wednesday, May 5 before opening the NJAC Tournament on Friday.
