Montclair, NJ – Sophomore right fielder
RYAN LONG and freshman shortstop
HECTOR GONZALEZ each drove in a pair of runs as Montclair State made it a happy home opener with a 13-6 victory over Purchase College at Yogi Berra Stadium on Wednesday afternoon.
Sophomore centerfielder
PHILIP SCOTT went 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI as the Red Hawks improved to 6-8 overall with the victory. Chris Triano went 3-for-3 with a run batted in for the Panthers (6-4).
Purchase grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning as Elan Trischitta brought home both runs with a single to center field. Montclair answered that with two in the bottom of the second.
CHRISTOPHER REYNOLDS and Scott pulled off a double-steal with Reynolds scampering home from third base on a throwing error. Catcher
RICH BURNER followed with an RBI single knotting the contest at 2-2.
A sacrifice fly by Reynolds put Montclair in the lead in the third inning and Montclair tacked on three more in the fourth for a 6-2 lead.
JACOB REEDER scored on a wild pitch for the first run and Long added the second on a ground out before Gonzalez delivered an RBI single to center.
The Panthers battled back with a run each in the fifth and sixth to pull within 6-5 however Montclair plated four runs in its half of the sixth inning to widen its lead. Gonzalez began the scoring with an RBI single with
KEITH MURPHY and Scott both adding runs batted in for a 10-5 Montclair State advantage.
Purchase got a run back in the seventh however the Red Hawks closed out the game with three runs in the bottom of the eighth as
KEVIN ALONSO,
MATT LONG and
RYAN LONG each drove in a run.
ANTHONY DEBLASIO picked up the win in relief as he got Montclair out of a fifth-inning jam with the lead still intact. DeBlasio recorded five outs, striking out two.
TAYLOR PARSONS allowed a run in two innings with
MICHAEL MATARAZZO fanning two in his ninth-inning close out. Lefthander
JOSH FELIX got the start and gave up four runs and five hits in 4 1/3 innings.
RYAN LONG and Gonzalez each had two hit for Montclair, which collected 12 in the game.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Thursday, April 2 heading to Mahwah, NJ to face Ramapo College in the first game of a home-and-home set. The two will square off at Jeff Maund Field at 3:30 pm and the two meet again on Friday, April 3 at Yogi Berra Stadium.
