Port Charlotte, FL – Vance Day singled home Joey Gilmore with the go-ahead run in the top of the 11th inning as The College of Wooster edged Montclair State, 3-2 in the Snowbird Classic on Friday.
Keith Murphy (Point Pleasant, NJ, Point Pleasant Boro) and
Christopher Reynolds (Randolph, NJ, Randolph) each drove in a run for the Red Hawks, who suffered their third straight loss. Montclair (3-6) completed its Florida trip at 2-4 and heads back home returning to action on Friday, March 21 at The College of Staten Island in a 3:30 pm contest.
MSU took a 1-0 lead in the third inning as
Matt Rodriguez (Cinnaminson, NJ, Cinnaminson) singled with one out and
Ryan Long (Washington Township, NJ, Washington Township) walked putting runners at first and second. Murphy followed with a single scoring Rodriguez with the game's first run. The Red Hawks extended the lead to 2-0 in the sixth when
Lou Martini (Flemington, NJ, North Hunterdon) was hit by a pitch and sacrificed to second by
Cody Pace (Milltown, NJ, Spotswood) before Reynolds RBI single made it a two-run advantage.
Senior lefthander
Dylan Papa (South Plainfield, NJ, South Plainfield) shut down the Scots (3-3) for the first six innings but ran into trouble in the seventh as a leadoff double followed by a triple and ground out knotted the game at 2-2.
Montclair State had a chance to retake the lead in the bottom of the eighth when Martini led off with a double and went to third on a sacrifice. But Wooster reliever Michael Whitaker got a ground out and pop up to end the threat.
In the 11th, Vance singled with one out and an error put the lead run in scoring position which the Scots capitalized on when Day singled putting Wooster in front 3-2. Montclair State would get the tying run aboard with two outs in the bottom of the inning however Whitaker got a lineout to left to end the game.
Papa went seven innings allowing two runs and seven hits. He struck out four and walked one.
John Silvestri (Livingston, NJ, Seton Hall Prep) suffered the loss in relief falling to 1-1. Silvestri went the final four innings giving up five hits, striking out three and walking two.
Martini and
Philip Scott (Paulsboro, NJ, Paulsboro) had two hits apiece for the Red Hawks.