Chandler, AZ – The Montclair State baseball team won its second straight game and improved to 2-0 on its Arizona Trip with a 14-8 victory over Wheaton (MA) College on Sunday evening.
Junior
LOU POLITAN (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) had drove in four runs, including a three-run homer as MSU evened its record at 2-2. Montclair also gained a measure of revenge against the Lyons (1-1), who eliminated the Red Hawks from the NCAA Division III World Series last season as MSU placed fourth. The teams have now split four meetings.
Tied a 1-1 in the fourth, Montclair sent 11 batters to the plate as it scored seven times to break the game open. Politan and
KEVIN CUOZZI (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) each singled to open the inning. After a sacrifice moved the runners up, Nunes delivered a two-run single up the middle to give MSU the lead.
ROB BOWNESS (Sparta, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) followed with an RBI single and Rob Clark (Livingston, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) lofted a sacrifice fly to bring home another run as Montclair built 5-1 lead.
SCOTT EVANGELIST (Northfield, NJ/Holy Spirit) added two more runs with a triple and later scored on an errant pick off throw as the Red Hawks led 8-1.
Wheaton would get back within 8-5 in the bottom of the inning, however freshman reliever
JESUS CASTANO (West New York, NJ/Memorial) struck out the final two hitters of the inning to end the Lyons' rally.
In the fifth, MSU added two more runs on RBI singles by Nunes and
ANDREW VICARO (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) to increase the lead to 10-5. Wheaton would score twice in the sixth to cut the lead to 10-7 before Politan's RBI single in the seventh extended the advantage to four.
MSU then put the game away in the ninth on one swing of the bat by Politan, who launched a three-run shot over the right-field fence to widen the Red Hawks lead to 14-7.
Castano (1-0) picked up the win as he went the final 5 2/3 innings allowing three runs and four hits, striking out four and walking three.
Nunes, Bowness and Vicaro each had three hits for Montclair State, which collected 19 in the gameClark had two hits and two RBI as well.
MSU now heads to Mesa, AZ on Monday, March 12 as they take on Brockport State at 12:30 pm EST.
