Fort Myers, FL – The Montclair State softball team, ranked 15
th in Division III, got strong pitching and hitting performances on Sunday leading the Red Hawks to sweep of their first two games at the Gene Cusic Classic. MSU topped Bridgewater State 10-1 in their opener before coming back with an 8-0 victory over Pitt-Bradford.
MELISSA RUSTEMEYER and
BRIANNA DAVIDSON each belted home runs for Montclair against Bridgewater as the Red Hawks collected 11 hits in the game to back the pitching of junior righthander
BROOKE POWERS. Powers (1-0) allowed a run in the first inning before throwing four scoreless frames for the win. She gave up six hits and struck out two.
After falling behind in the top of the first, Montclair got the runs right back in its half of the inning as Rustemeyer doubled home Powers and
LAUREN GUILLEN for a 2-1 MSU lead.
NOEL HODGINS put the Red Hawks in front in the second with an RBI single before Davidson connected on a two-run homer making the score 5-1.
Montclair State put the game away in the fifth with five runs. Rustemeyer led off the inning with a solo shot with
TINA CIACCIARELLI and Hodgins each adding run scoring singles.
Rustemeyer, Hodgins and
MELANY ZELLER had two hits apiece for MSU.
In the win over Pitt-Bradford,
REBECCA COLEMAN allowed three hits and struck out six as she won her first career contest.
BRIANNA CREEGAN registered the final out.
A five-run fifth proved big again for MSU as it plated five runs in the second inning.
SOPHIA IVEZAJ singled home the first run and Guillen added two more with a single. Davidson brought in the fourth run with a base hit before a Powers infield single scored Guillen making the score 5-0.
Davidson doubled home a run in the fourth before Powers launched a two-run homer for the final margin.
Guillen, Davidson and Powers had two hits apiece for the Red Hawks.
Montclair State returns to action on Monday, March 9 with two morning contests. The Red Hawks face Wisconsin Lutheran at 9:00 am following by an 11:00 am contest with Eastern Nazarene College.
