Montclair, NJ – Senior righthanders Alex Hill (Parsippany, NJ, Parsippany Hills) and Alison Cullen (Branchburg, NJ, Immaculata) each fired two-hit shutouts as second-ranked Montclair State kept its winning ways going as the Red Hawks blanked New Jersey City University by identical 8-0 scores on Wednesday afternoon.

Senior third baseman Dana Amato (Hillsdale, NJ, Pascack Valley) homered and had three RBI in the opener with junior Tara Petrucelli (Nutley, NJ, Nutley) added two RBI in the nightcap as MSU (27-1, 12-0 NJAC), extended their winning streak to 23 games with their sixth and seventh shutout victories in their last nine games.

In the opener, Hill (17-1) fired her 12th shutout in 16 starts this season giving up just two singles while striking out nine and issuing a lone walk. Ashley Latushko (4-12) took the loss despite keeping the Red Hawks off balance and off the scoreboard until the fifth when MSU erupted for seven runs.

Montclair State had a chance to plate runs early, loading the bases with no one out in the bottom of the first however, Latushko was able to escape the jam with a pop up, force play at home and ground out to end the inning.

In the fourth, Montclair would break through as Melissa Rustemeyer (Colonia, NJ, Colonia) walked and was sacrificed to second by Brianna Davidson (Monroe Township, NJ , Monroe Township). Petrucelli ripped a double up the left-center gap for the game's first run.

The following inning the Red Hawks exploded sending 10 batters to the plate, including left fielder Brooke Powers (Newton, NJ, Pope John XXIII), who opened the inning with a single. Alisha Cumberton (Toms River, NJ, Toms River East) reached on a fielder's choice and Amato brought them all home with her seventh home run of the season for a 4-0 lead. Hill followed with a single and Rustemeyer's base hit put runners at first and third. Pinch-runner Sam Camacho (Jersey City, NJ, County Prep) scored on a fielder's choice and pinch-hitter Melany Zeller (Bloomfield, NJ, Bloomfield) flared a single into center field scoring Rustemeyer making the score 6-0. A throwing error on the backend of a potential double-play ball allowed the seventh run to come home. Powers capped the inning with her second base hit, an RBI single that scored Jaclyn Allegretta (Hackensack, NJ, Hackensack).

Powers and Amato each had three hits for the Red Hawks.

Cullen recorded her second shutout of the season in the second game as Montclair State took advantage of four errors by the Gothic Knights (5-25, 1-11 NJAC) as all eight runs would be unearned.  Cullen struck out one in upping her record to 9-0. Taylor Setar took the loss for NJCU.

Davidson scored in the second inning on the first of the four errors as Montclair led 1-0. The Red Hawks added six runs in the fourth taking advantage of two more miscues by the Gothic Knights. Allegretta had an RBI double and Cumberton's RBI single made the score 3-0. Rustemeyer and Davidson each walked with the bases loaded and a two-run single by Petrucelli extended the lead to 7-0.

Montclair would get the final run in the fifth on an RBI single by Amato.

Powers finished with two hits for MSU.
 
Montclair heads right back into action on Thursday, April 17 as it hosts NYU-Poly at the MSU Softball Stadium beginning at 3:00 pm.