Newark, NJ – Junior righthander JAIRO MENDEZ (Kearny, NJ/Kearny HS) stymied the red-hot Rutgers-Newark baseball team as Montclair State downed the Scarlet Raiders, 14-4, in a New Jersey Athletic Conference baseball game in Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.

The Red Hawks (15-14, NJAC 7-5) forged a tie with the Scarlet Raiders (11-19, NJAC 7-5) in the conference race.

Mendez gave up no earned runs, striking out four, while yielding just six hits and two walks in seven full innings of work.  His teammates collected 15 hits against four Rutgers-Newark pitchers.

Junior centerfielder MICHAEL NUNES (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) went three for five with three runs batted in to lead the Red Hawk assault.  Senior leftfielder ANDREW VICARO (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) and senior designated hitter ROB BOWNESS (Sparta, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) added three hits apiece for Montclair State.

Montclair State gave Mendez a 3-0 lead before he took the mound in the first inning as it opened the game with four straight hits. JEFF MILLER (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) drove in the first run with a base hit and Vicaro followed with an RBI double before LOU POLITAN (Livingston, NJ/Livingston) collected a run-scoring single.

ANDREW HIMMELFARB (Nyack, NY/Nyack) added a run in the second with an RBI single and the Red Hawks tacked on four more runs in the third to take an 8-0 lead. Bowness tripled and scored on wild pitch and Nunes collected a two-run double to make the score 7-0. Nunes would cross the plate on a passed ball as MSU held an eight-run cushion.

Freshman designated hitter Dan Zika (Kenilworth, NJ/David Brearley) dropped a bases-loaded, two-run single into right centerfield in the bottom of the sixth to give Rutgers-Newark their first runs – both unearned – against Mendez.  An infield error extended the inning, but after Mendez (2-3) issued a walk to reload the bases, he escaped the inning by getting a called third strike on Raider third baseman Christian Diaz (New Milford, NJ/Milford).  The Raiders added two more runs in the seventh on a dropped fly ball to short leftfield.

Senior shortstop John Farmer (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) was the only Raider with two hits.

Montclair State returns to action on Saturday, April 21 as they Red Hawks host local and conference rival William Paterson at Yogi Berra Stadium. First pitch is slated for Noon.