Camden, NJ – Senior righthander MICHAEL VICARO gave second-seeded Montclair State a solid shot in the arm – literally as the Red Hawks remained alive in the NJAC Baseball Championship with a 5-3 victory over Rutgers-Newark in an elimination game at Campbell's Field on Saturday.

Designated hitter ROB BOWNESS had two hits and an RBI for MSU (24-14-2), which advances in the tournament and faces top-seeded The College of New Jersey later on Saturday in an elimination game. The Lions handed Montclair State a 16-5 loss on Friday.

Vicaro, who suffered a tough-luck loss to the Scarlet Raiders on April 28, went seven innings as he improved to 4-3. The righthander allowed seven hits and two runs (one earned) with five strikeouts and three walks. Sopohomore TIM STRINGER recorded the final six outs to nail down his first save of the season.

Senior rightfielder BRIAN BUTLER gave the Red Hawks a 1-0 lead in the first inning, plating MICHAEL NUNES on a run-scoring ground out.  Nunes would add to the lead in the second, bouncing a single through the right side scoring LOU POLITAN, who reached on a leadoff walk.

Rutgers-Newark made it a 2-1 game in the third, however that was answered by MSU in the bottom half with two runs. Butler singled to lead off the inning and went to second on a wild pitch before Bowness laced a triple down the right field line. Bowness would come home on a passed ball making the score 4-1.

The Scarlet Raiders cut the lead to 4-2 in the seventh, but Montclair got that back in the bottom half. Bowness doubled with two outs and scored one batter later as ROBERT CLARK singled down the left field line.

Stringer came one and retired Rutgers-Newark in order in the eighth and allowed a run in the ninth before closing out the game with a ground ball out.

Rodriguez and Bowness had two hits apiece for Montclair State.