Little Falls, NJ (4/26/05) - Senior 2B NICOLE PACICCO batted 4-for-6 and drove in five runs, including her team-leading seventh home run this spring, to lead Montclair State University to a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader sweep of Rutgers-Newark today at the MSU Softball Stadium. The host Red Hawks won by 5-0 and 9-1 counts to improve to 23-7-1 overall and 8-6 in the NJAC with two conference games remaining. Rutgers-Newark is now 11-21 on the year and 1-13 in NJAC play.

Senior CF JOELLE FATA finished 3-for-5 at the plate and scored five runs and stole three bases for the Red Hawks over the two games, while senior 3B KARI MCDONNELL was 3-for-8 with three RBIs on the day. Junior RHP ATHANASIA TOTARO picked up the win in Game One, improving to 14-4 this year after allowing just three hits and two walks while striking out six batters today. Freshman RHP CAROLYN MCCREA tossed a one-hitter in Game Two, surrendering just an earned run and two walks while fanning eight hitters over five innings to raise her own record to 5-1. Sophomore 1B Kate Schrumpf batted 2-for-6 for Rutgers-Newark.

Pacicco broke a scoreless tie in the bottom of the fifth inning of the opener when she clouted a three-run homer with one out following a pair of MSU walks. She then doubled in Montclair's last run in the sixth inning as the Red Hawks recorded their 11th shutout of the season. Junior pitcher Katie Wheelan took the loss for the Scarlet Raiders, falling to 6-9 after allowing five hits, five earned runs and seven walks against one strikeout.

Rutgers-Newark took a 1-0 lead in the first inning of the rematch as junior 2B Meghan Shapiro singled to shortstop, stole second base, advanced to third on fielder's choice, and finally scored off a wild pitch. Montclair came back to tie the game in the second as Fata singled home sophomore catcher MEGAN TANTUM with two outs, and then stole second before scoring herself on a single by Totaro for a 2-1 MSU lead. The Red Hawks then added two runs each in the fourth and sixth frames before tacking on three more scores in the seventh for the final margin.

Fata finished 3-for-4 in the second contest, scoring four runs and stealing two bases while McDonnell drove in three runs and Pacicco went 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Schapiro finished 1-for-3 with a run for the Scarlet Raiders in the nightcap, while senior pitcher Tanya Spampinato took the loss to fall to 5-9 after being tagged for 16 hits and seven earned runs while walking one MSU batter and striking out another.

MSU hosts Baruch College this Thursday at 3:00 p.m., while Rutgers-Newark will visit Lehman College.