Tyler, TX- The Montclair State softball team saw its 2014 season come to a close on Saturday as the Red Hawks were eliminated from the 2014 NCAA Division III Softball Championship with a 4-3 loss to the University of St. Thomas (MN) at Suddenlink Field at the University of Texas at Tyler.

Senior third baseman Dana Amato (Hillsdale, NJ, Pascack Valley) had two hits, including the 200th of her career for the Red Hawks, who end their season at 42-8. MSU was making its third consecutive national tournament appearance and the eighth in program history.

After falling to defending national champion Tufts on Friday evening, the Red Hawks quickly putting the first run on the board in the bottom of the opening inning. Amato flared a single to left field with two outs – the 200th of her brilliant career as she became the 11th player in program history to record 200 career hits and first since Jennifer Jimenez in 2009.  Two pitches later, junior first baseman Tara Petrucelli (Nutley, NJ, Nutley) launched a double up the right-center gap with Amato scoring all the way from first for the 1-0 MSU lead.

That lead would hold up as senior righthander Alex Hill (Parsippany, NJ, Parsippany Hills) limited the Tommies (44-8) to just one hit through the first five innings before St. Thomas sent eight hitters to the plate in the sixth and scored four times to take the lead.  Bianca Peterson collected a one-out single and Emily Gregory followed with a double to left center tying the game at 1-1. Erin Mussett doubled to right center putting the Tommies in front and a two-run double by Mary Rentz to left field made the score 4-1.

Montclair would put two on the sixth with one out however couldn't come up with a run and then rallied in the seventh. Senior second baseman Katie Muglia (South Plainfield, NJ, South Plainfield) and junior shortstop Brianna Davidson (Monroe Township, NJ , Monroe Township) singled to open the inning. A fielder's choice was recorded for the first out however lefty reliever Katie Jo Delisle hit Brooke Powers (Newton, NJ, Pope John XXIII) to load the bases. Alisha Cumberton (Toms River, NJ, Toms River East) bounced a ball to third base that skipped away scoring pinch-runner Sam Camacho (Jersey City, NJ, County Prep) and Jaclyn Allegretta (Hackensack, NJ, Hackensack) as the lead was cut to 4-3. But Delisle struck out Amato on a 3-2 pitch and fanned Petrucelli to end the game.

Petrucelli, Amato and Davidson all had two hits for Montclair State, which outhit the Tommies, 7-6.

Hill suffered the loss in her final appearance for the Red Hawks as she closed out the year at 31-6. The three-time All-American righthander allowed six hits, struck out six and walked three. Kendra Bowe (23-6) got the win for St. Thomas.

The loss ended the best four-year stretch by Montclair State in program history. Since the start of the 2011 campaign the Red Hawks put together a 159-34 mark including a 59-13 record in the NJAC that included the conference title in 2013 and four consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances with three trips to the finals. MSU, which was ranked in the Top 5 of the NFCA Division III Poll throughout the 2014 campaign, posted three consecutive 40-win seasons that also includes a school-record 46 victories last season.

Meanwhile Hill closes out her Montclair State career with virtually every pitching record and etched her name into the NCAA Division III history books. The four-time NJAC Pitcher of the Year posted a 118-24 record with 62 shutouts in 129 career starts. She struck out an amazing 1,332 batters and walked just 121 in 972 1/3 innings and added 14 saves along with a career ERA of 0.81. Hill finished second all-time in Division III history in strikeouts, shutouts and innings pitched while ranking third in victories and 15^th in career earned-run average.  Amato also closed out one of the most prolific offensive careers. The four-time All-NJAC selection finished second all-time in home runs (36), RBI (154) and total bases (352) and finished fourth in career slugging percentage (.616)