Fort Myers , FL (3/15/06) – Junior righthander
DANA WARNOCK (right) tossed a four-hit shutout as the Montclair State softball team salvaged a split at the Gene Cusic Classic on Wednesday. MSU (7-1) fell to Wheaton (MA), 5-4 in the first game but came back to blank Wooster, 4-0.
Against Wheaton, MSU jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top half of the first as
ATHANASIA TOTARO and
MAUREEN SHOCKLEY singled to open the inning.
JENNIFER JIMENEZ walked to load the bases before
JACKIE FERRANTI singled to drive in the first run. MSU added to the lead as Shockley scored on a misplayed ground ball hit by
MEGAN TANTUM.
Wheaton came back with three runs in their half of the inning aided by two Montclair State errors. The Lyons extended the lead to 4-2 in the third as Stacey Kelleher doubled with one out and scored as Emily Hildreth tripled to left field. Montclair State would get a run in the fourth to pull within one as Crystal Dahlhaus singled with two outs, moved to second on a base hit by Totaro and third on a passed ball before scoring on an infield single by Shockley. Montclair then tied the game in the seventh as Jimenez belted her fourth home run of the season, a solo shot to left field.
In the bottom of the seventh, Wheaton would get the deciding run. Keely Nowosacki tripled with two outs and Erika Marini followed with an RBI single.
CAROLYN MCCREA took the loss (2-1). McCrea entered the game in the fifth and allowed two hits and the one run. Totaro gave up five hits and four runs (one earned) with six strikeouts in four innings. Totaro, Shockley and Ferranti each had two hits for the Red Hawks.
Warnock helped gain the split as she tossed her second career shutout. She faced just four batters over the minimum and allowed just one batter to reach third base. Warnock also helped herself at the plate recording three of MSU's five hits as she went 3-for-3.
Locked in a scoreless battle in the fourth, Montclair State finally broke through with two runs. Ferranti,
CHERYL BODAK and Tantum walked to load the bases. Warnock then delivered a two-out, two-run single giving the Red Hawks a 2-0 lead. MSU added another run in the fifth as Ferranti brought home Totaro with an RBI single. Totaro drove in the final Montclair run on a ground out in the sixth.
Warnock struck out four and did not walk a batter as she retired 12 of the final 13 hitters she faced.
Montclair State closes out action at the Gene Cusic Classic on Thursday at the Red Hawks face Bowdoin (ME) at 11:00 am and Western New England College at 1:00 pm.
