Little Falls, NJ (4/30/07) – Junior righthander
MARTY CABALAR (Parsippany, NJ/Parsippany Hills) came on with the bases loaded to get the final out as Montclair State held off Rutgers-Newark, 7-6, in NJAC baseball action at Yogi Berra Stadium on Monday afternoon. The victory clinches the No. 3 seed in the NJAC Tournament for the Red Hawks, who will face No. 4 seed Ramapo College at home in the opening round on Thursday, May 3 at 3:00 pm.
Senior left fielder
JEFF MILLER (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI as the Red Hawks improved to 20-16 overall and finished their conference slate at 12-6. Montclair also swept the season series from the Scarlet Raiders adding the victory to its 14-4 win at Riverfront Stadium on April 20.
Senior second baseman Tom Callari (Oradell, NJ/River Dell) had two RBI for the Scarlet Raiders, who completed their season at 12-26 overall, 7-11 in the NJAC. Rutgers-Newark, which committed four errors in the game and allowed five unearned runs, dropped its final three contests of the year.
Montclair State took a 1-0 lead in the third as Rob Clark (Livingston, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) walked, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored as
MICHAEL NUNES (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) singled to centerfield. But the Scarlet Raiders came right back with two runs in the top of the third as Bill Mercurio (Wappingers Falls, NY/Arlington) and Brett DiMarco (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) walked to open the inning. With the runners moving, Callari drove a pitch into right-centerfield for a double to score both runners as Rutgers-Newark led 2-1.
The Red Hawks would respond with six runs in the bottom of the inning aided by three Scarlet Raider errors. Two singles and a walk loaded the bases for Clark, who then drew a bases on balls to tie the game at 2-2. Nunes then hit a ground ball that was misplayed allowing two more runners to scored as Montclair took a two-run lead.
ANDREW HIMMELFARB (Nyack, NY/Nyack) was hit by a pitch to reload the bases and Montclair took advantage of that as Miller looped a single to left field to score Clark and Nunes. On the play, the throw home went wide allowing Miller to take second and when Rutgers-Newark tried to get Miller advancing, that throw too sailed wide letting Himmelfarb score with the sixth run of the inning as MSU led 7-2.
Rutgers-Newark would get a run back in the fifth as Mercurio singled in a run and the Scarlet Raiders pulled closer in the seventh thanks to a Montclair State error. With runners on first and second, Mercurio hit a slow-bouncer to shortstop that would go for an infield single but the throw first then bounced away allowing John Farmer (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) and Brian Gill (Manasquan, NJ/Wall) to score as the MSU lead was cut to 7-5.
In the ninth, the Scarlet Raiders nearly tied the game. With one out, pinch-hitter Dave Zika (Kennilworth, NJ/David Brearley) reached on a two-base error. After the second out, Farmer doubled down the right field line, putting the tying run at second base. Mercuio and DiMarco then walked to load the bases which brought Cabalar from the bullpen. The righthander got ahead of the hitter 0-1 before getting a fly out to Miller to end the game.
Cabalar picked up his third save of the season as he earned a win for junior lefthander
NICK RECCHIA (Randolph, NJ/Randolph). Recchia (3-0) went the first five innings allowing three runs and four hits, striking out three and walking five. Robert Adams (Little Falls, NJ/Passaic Valley) took the loss giving up just two earned runs of the seven he allowed and six hits in five innings. He fanned three and issued three walks.
Nunes and
ROB BOWNESS (Sparta, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) each had two hits for Montclair State while Farmer and Mercurio collected two hits apiece for Rutgers-Newark.
