Little Falls, NJ – Senior leftfielder BRIAN BUTLER singled down the right field line with one out in the bottom of the 10th to plate the game-winning run as Montclair State knocked off New Jersey City University, 12-11, in New Jersey Athletic Conference Baseball action at Yogi Berra Stadium on Monday afternoon.

Sophomore second baseman KEVIN CUOZZI  went 4-for-5 at the plate as the Red Hawks rallied from an early 9-4 deficit and squandered a two-run ninth-inning lead before taking the win. MSU improved to 11-9-2 overall and 5-2 in the NJAC.

Robert DelFino  belted a three-run home run for the Gothic Knights, who fell to 13-15 overall, 1-6 in the NJAC.

In the bottom of the 10th, Cuozzi led off with a base hit to centerfield and moved to second as ROBERT CLARK laid down a sacrifice bunt. NJCU then intentionally walked MICHAEL OCEJO. Butler then stepped to the plate and bounced a single just inside the rightfield line scoring Cuozzi with the game-winning run.

The Red Hawks winning rally may not have materialized if not for a solid play by freshman rightfielder THOMAS MEYER. NJCU loaded the bases with one out and brought leading hitter Rob Sumner  to the plate against reliever ENRIQUE GOMEZ. Sumner lofted a ball to right field that Meyer caught. Ruben Borges  tried to score from third, however Meyer's throw was handled by catcher MATT HARTWICK, who applied the tag to end the inning.

New Jersey City forced extra innings as it scored twice in the top of the ninth. Sumner reached on a fielder's choice with two out and moved to third on a single to right by DelFino, whose heads up play on the throw to third allowed him to move into scoring position. The play proved to be a key one as Matt Caravano  bounced ball to third that should have ended the game, but the throw sailed high allowing both runners to score, tying the game at 11-11.

Gomez (1-0) would pick up his first victory of the season with his four-pitch relief stint. McCormick took the loss falling to 3-1. McCormick went five innings in relief allowing eight hits and five runs (four earned) with a strikeout and three walks. Lost in the scoring was a brilliant relief effort from MSU lefthander KEVIN DALTON. Dalton hurled six innings allowing four hits with six strikeouts as he kept the Red Hawks in the game at 9-4 before Montclair rallied.

 NJCU took a 2-0 lead in the first as Carlos Suarez  drew a bases-loaded walk and Borges lofted a sacrifice fly. Montclair would get four in their half of the inning as ROB BOWNESS  singled home a run and a three-run error with two outs gave the MSU a 4-2 advantage.  New Jersey City countered with five runs in the second, three coming off the bat of DelFino, who launched his first homer of the season off the base of the left field foul pole. Sumer's two-run single in the third gave the Gothic Knights a 9-4 lead.

 Montclair got a run back in the fourth on an RBI double by Clark and then added five in the fifth to take the lead. MICHAEL NUNES  scored on a wild pitch and Cuozzi delivered a run-scoring single to make the score 9-7. Clark's infield single made it a two-run game and Politan put the Red Hawks back in front with a two-run double down the right-field line. MSU would add one more in the eighth as Politan singled and pinch runner SCOTT EVANGELIST raced all the way to third on sacrifice bunt and scored when the throw went wide of the bag.

 Sumner, DelFino, Borges, McCormick and Anthony Mackow  each had two hits for NJCU.

 Politan finished 3-for-5 with Clark recording a 2-for-5 day at the plate.

Montclair State returns to action on Tuesday, April 11 as they host DeSales University at Yogi Berra Stadium at 3:30 pm.