Montclair, NJ – Senior left fielder Nicholas Martins (Linden, NJ, Linden) singled home a pair runs in the seventh inning giving Montclair State a three-run lead it would not relinquish as the Red Hawks knocked off Rensselaer 5-3 at Yogi Berra Stadium on Wednesday afternoon .

Jayson Stolz (Iselin, NJ, John F. Kennedy) and Keith Murphy (Point Pleasant, NJ, Point Pleasant Boro) had two hits apiece for Montclair, which won its fourth straight as the Red Hawks improved to 12-13 on the year.

RPI's Andrew Kalish gave the Engineers (15-10) a 2-0 lead in the third inning with a single to left field that scored Al Merserman and Nick Palmiero.

MSU battled back tying the contest at 2-2 in the fourth inning. Philip Scott brought home one run as Lou Martini (Flemington, NJ, North Hunterdon) crossed the plate for the first run. Stolz knotted the game with a single to left field and the Red Hawks took the lead the following inning manufacturing a run.

Murphy walked and was sacrificed to second by Martini. A ground out moved Murphy to third and a wild pitch brought him home for a 3-2 advantage. The Red Hawks added to the lead in the seventh. Christopher Reynolds (Randolph, NJ, Randolph) walked with one out. A fielding error put runners on first and second and wild pitch moved both into scoring position.  RPI would get then next out with a strikeout however Martins slapped a single to left.

The Engineers got a run back in the eighth inning to pull within 5-3, but that would be as close as its would get as reliever Louis Pimpinella (Hillsdale, NJ, Pascack Valley) pitched a scoreless ninth to register his first save of the season. Freshman righthander Donald Cusick (Wayne, NJ, Wayne Valley) got the victory in relief with two scoreless innings. Cusick (1-0) struck out one and walked one.

The Red Hawks are back in action on Thursday, April 17 as it hosts The College of New Jersey in the first of a home-and-home set. First pitch of the NJAC contest is set to begin at 3:30 pm.