Post Game Press Conference - Montclair State | Tufts

Eau Claire, WI - The Montclair State softball team has its backs against the wall in the NCAA Division III Softball Championship after the Red Hawks fell to Tufts University, 3-1 in nine innings at Gelein Field on Saturday evening.

Montclair (46-4), which had its 10-game winning streak snapped with the loss, must now battle its way back in the elimination bracket starting on Sunday, May 19 as MSU faces Salisbury University at 3:30 pm. Should the Red Hawks win they would face the winner of Luther and UT-Tyler at 8:30 pm.

Junior third baseman Dana Amato (Hillsdale, NJ, Pascack Valley) accounted for the lone Montclair State run with a solo home run in the fourth inning. Amato finished with two of the Red Hawks' three hits in the game.

Amato's home run was the first run of the game thank in part to a great play from senior centerfielder Jamie Paulino (Linden, NJ, Linden), who gunned down a runner at the plate to end the first inning.

Meanwhile junior righthander Alex Hill (Parsippany, NJ, Parsippany Hills) and Tufts' Allyson Fournier battled against one another with Fournier retiring the first 11 Red Hawks she faced until Amato drilled a 1-2 pitch over the right field wall for her seventh homer of the year giving MSU the 1-0 lead.

The Jumbos (44-3) got the game even again in the fifth. Bri Keenan singled with one out and Jo Clair walked. Beinecke then punched a single through the left side to load the bases. Michelle Cooprider then bounced a ball over the head of Amato at third bringing home Keenan as the game was knotted at 1-1.

That would be the way the game stayed although the Red Hawks had a chance in the bottom of the sixth inning. Senior leftfielder Kelli O'Brien (Edison, NJ, Edison) dropped a single into right field to lead off the inning and pinch-hitter Dana Egan (Middletown, NJ, Middletown North) walked. But the Red Hawks failed to get the runners over with a bunt and then caught a bad break. Paulino grounded a ball to third base the glanced off the third baseman however the ball caromed right to shortstop Bienecke, who stepped on the third base bag for the force out.

The play proved big as Amato then grounded a single through the left side. Freshman Jaclyn Allegretta (Hackensack, NJ, Hackensack) came racing around third but a great throw from Keenan to Clair at the plate cut down Allegretta to end the inning.  

In the bottom of the seventh the Red Hawks got the leadoff batter on as Hill was hit by a pitch. The Red Hawks looked to move the runner over with a bunt, but a diving grab by third baseman Christina Raso who then threw to first to get a double play ended any chance of MSU getting home the winning run.

After a scoreless eighth, the Jumbos got the go-ahead runs in the ninth with two outs. Keenan tripled down the right field line to score Raso and Beinecke singled back through the middle for another run as Tufts led 3-1.

Fournier (23-1) picked up the win as she allowed the three hits, striking out 12 and walking two. Hill suffered just her fourth loss of the year falling to 38-4. The righty allowed a season-high 12 hits, struck out six and walked three.