Post-Game Press Conference
Montclair, NJ – Senior righthander
Alex Hill (Parsippany, NJ, Parsippany Hills) fired a two-hit shutout striking out a single-game record 19 batters as top-seeded Montclair State blanked third-seeded Haverford College, 2-0 in the NCAA Montclair Regional on Saturday.
Junior shortstop
Brianna Davidson (Monroe Township, NJ , Monroe Township) and sophomore rightfielder
Jaclyn Allegretta (Hackensack, NJ, Hackensack) each drove in a run as the Red Hawks (38-6) move into Sunday's championship round. MSU will need just one victory to move on to the new best-of-3 Super Regional format next weekend.
Haverford (28-10) will face either fourth-seeded Farmingdale State or second-seeded Wheaton College (MA) in an elimination game later today with the winner of that contest advancing to Sunday.
Hill broke her own MSU single-game record set early this season when she record 18 in a perfect-game win over Centenary. The two-time All-American, improved to 27-4 on the season. Emily Winesett took the loss for the Fords after allowing seven hits and the two runs. She struck out four and walked three.
Montclair State threatened in the first inning and left two runners as Winesett got a ground ball with the bases loaded to end the Red Hawk opportunity. She would get out of the third inning stranding a runner on third however Montclair State would break through in the fourth.
Junior first baseman
Tara Petrucelli (Nutley, NJ, Nutley) singled through the middle with one out and junior
Melany Zeller (Bloomfield, NJ, Bloomfield) was hit by a pitch. Winesett got a fly ball for the second out, however Davidson stroked a single to left scoring pinch-runner
Jeanine Karnilla (Bridgewater, NJ, Bridgewater-Raritan) with the first run. Allegretta then poked a single right field for the second run.
That turned out to be more than enough for Hill, who held Haverford hitless through the first four innings, striking out the side in each inning. She made it 13 batters in a row opening the fifth with another punchout before Elizabeth Newman got the Fords' first hit with a bunt single. Hill struck out the next two hitters to end the inning.
In the seventh, Haverford got the tying runs in scoring position. Kendall Chambers walked and after an out Newman got aboard with another infield hit. A sacrifice moved the runners up but Hill ended the game with her 19
th and record-breaking strikeout.
Petrucelli and senior third baseman Dana Amato had two hits apiece for the Red Hawks
