Camden, NJ – Senior third baseman
DANNY RODRIGUEZ singled home two runs in the sixth inning which turned out to be the difference as second-seeded Montclair State edged third-seeded The College of New Jersey, 5-4 in the NJAC Baseball Championship at Campbell's Field on Saturday evening.
The Red Hawks (25-14-2), who earlier in the day eliminated Rutgers-Newark, advance to the championship game on Sunday, May 7 against the winner of Sunday's first contest between TCNJ and No. 4 seeded Kean University. MSU will be seeking its first conference crown since 2001.
After falling to the Lions 16-5 on Friday, sophomore lefthander
ENRIQUE GOMEZ kept the explosive TCNJ offense to four runs – two earned – and seven hits as he pitched into the seventh inning. Gomez struck out five and walked two as he improved to 3-0.
Gomez gave up an unearned run in the first inning, but his Red Hawk teammates got the back in their half as
MICHAEL NUNES scored on a misplayed ball in left field on a
BRIAN BUTLER single. Nunes would play a role in the second inning as his RBI single put Montclair State in front 2-1.
TCNJ catcher Gerard Haran erased that deficit in the fifth inning with a three-run homer vaulting the Lions into the lead 4-2. The Red Hawks answered in the bottom of the inning with a run on a
SCOTT EVANGELIST RBI ground out making the score 4-3.
KEVIN CUOZZI reached base with one out and went to third as Nunes singled through the left side. Nunes would take second on throw which proved big one batter later as Rodriguez singled bringing both
runners home and giving Montclair a 5-4 lead.
The Lions got the leadoff runner on in the seventh and had first and second with one out when MSU went to the bullpen for righthander
MARTY CABALAR, who escaped the jam with a pop up and fly out. Rich Kropp reached second with one out in the eighth but again Cabalar came through stranding the runner there with a ground out and fly out.
Cabalar retired the side in order in the ninth to close out his fourth save of the season.
Nunes and Butler had two hits each for the Red Hawks. Haran and Blake Bullis collected two hits apiece for the Lions.
