Clearwater, FL -Freshman first baseman MICHAEL NUNES and senior catcher ROB BLACKBURN each drove in a pair of runs as Montclair State pounded out 16 hits in 13-7 win over Husson (ME) in the Clearwater Invitational on Wednesday afternoon.

Righthander JAY COOK threw five solid innings as the Red Hawks improved to 3-4 overall and 3-2 on their Florida trip.

Montclair jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first. TOMMY WARTH delivered an RBI single and MSu added another on the play as ETHAN BOYD scored on an error. Blackburn brought home the other run with an infield single.

MATT BENEDETTI extended the lead to 4-0 in the third with an RBI single and Montclair scored four more time in the fifth to build a seven-run cushion. Blackburn and MARC DECASTRO each had a run batted in and MIKE HALLIGAN lofted a sacrifice fly for the third run. Blackburn would score on an error capping the inning for the Red Hawks.

Husson would trim the lead to 8-6 as it scored once in the fifth, two in the seven and three more times in the eighth. It loaded the bases with two outs, but first baseman JOHN JEDINY ended the threat as he snared a line drive that would have gone for extra bases.

MSU then closed out the game with five runs in the ninth. Nunes stroked a two-run single and Jediny collected an RBI as well to highlight the inning.

Cook went the first five innings allowing two hits and one unearned run

Boyd, Warth, Blackburn and Benedetti each went 2-for-3 for Montclair State.

The Red Hawks return to action on Thursday,March 17 as they take on Nichols College (MA) at 1:00 pm.