Scottsdale, AZ – Senior
ROB BOWNESS (Sparta, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) and junior Rob Clark (Livingston, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) each drove in three runs as Montclair State pounded out a season-high 22 hits as the Red Hawks posted their third straight win with a 17-4 victory over Brockport State on Monday afternoon.
The win pushed MSU over the .500 mark at 3-2 on the season as Montclair has now scored 38 runs and registered 53 hits in their three games in Arizona.
Montclair scored all of its runs in just three separate innings, but made the most when it did. Trailing 1-0 after two innings, the Red Hawks exploded with nine runs in the third as it sent 14 hitters to bat.
MSU loaded the bases and tied the game as
KEVIN CUOZZI (Langhorne, PA/Neshaminy) scored on a balk. Bowness then gave Montclair the lead with a single and Clark added another before
ANDREW VICARO drove home a run with a base hit to make the score, 4-1. After an out,
ERIC JOHNSON (Whippany, NJ/Whippany Park) lofted sacrifice fly and
JAMES SCELZO (Staten Island, NY/Petrides) drew a walk for force in another run as the lead increased to 6-1. The seventh run came in on an error and Bowness capped off the inning with a two-run single.
Brockport would score single runs in the fourth and sixth innings to make the game, 9-3, but Montclair answered with five runs in the bottom of the sixth. Sophomore
SCOTT EVANGELIST (Northfield, NJ/Holy Spirit) delivered two runs with a triple and
JERRY CASALE (Rockaway, NJ/Morris Hills) and
ANDREW HIMMELFARB (Nyack, NY/Nyack) each added run-scoring singles before
MARC PALESTINA (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) walked with the bases loaded for the final run of the inning as MSU's advantage grew to 14-3.
Himmelfarb had an RBI single and Clark a two-run double in the eighth inning to round out MSU scoring.
Junior lefthander
NICK RECCHIA (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) picked up the win as he went five innings allowing three runs and four hits. Recchia (1-0) struck out six and walked two.
Bowness was 3-for-4 at the plate for Montclair State while
LOU POLITAN (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) went 3-for-3. Clark, Cuozzi and Himmenfarb each collected two hits.
The Red Hawks continue their Arizona schedule on Tuesday, March 13 as they travel to Mesa for a 3:30 pm EDT contest with Denison (OH).
