Montclair, NJ – Junior BROOKE POWERS picked up both victories and also drove in four runs as Montclair State stretched its winning streak to four games with a doubleheader sweep of Rutgers-Newark at the MSU Softball Stadium on Tuesday.

LAUREN GUILLEN, MELISSA RUSTEMEYER and BRIANNA DAVIDSON each homered for the Red Hawks (11-15, 5-7 NJAC), who took the first contest 12-8 before posting a 5-1 win in the nightcap.

Kesley Lucas, Toniann Done and Anna Carlson all had home runs for the Scarlet Raiders (6-17, 1-11 NJAC).

In the opener, senior catcher MELANY ZELLER gave MSU a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single that scored Guillen. Powers helped her own cause with an RBI triple in the third and a run-scoring hit by Zeller made it 3-0. Rustemeyer added to the lead in the fourth in with two-run blast over the centerfield fence. Powers drove home two more in the inning and Zeller's third RBI of the game put Montclair State up 8-0.

Powers was cruising along until the fifth when the Scarlet Raiders battled back with five runs. Sam Held drove in the first run and a three-run homer by Carlson made the game 8-4 before Donde clubbed a home run two batters later making the Red Hawks lead three.

The Red Hawks would get those runs back in the sixth. Guillen belted a two-run homer and NOEL HODGINS scored on a throwing error for an 11-5 lead. TINA CIACCIARELLI brought home final run with a base hit. Rutgers-Newark would not go away as it scored three times in the seventh with the help of two Montclair State errors. However Powers ended the game with a comebacker to the circle.

Powers picked up the win with the complete-game effort as she allowed six hits with three of the eight runs coming unearned. She walked three. Morgan Walizer (1-5) took the loss.

The first four MSU hitters – Guillen, Hodgins, Powers and Zeller were a combined 10-for-12 in the game with eight runs scored and eight RBI. Guillen was 3-for-3 as was Zeller with Hodgins and Powers each going 2-of-3 at the plate.

The second game would come down to one inning as the Red Hawks broke a scoreless tie in the third with four runs.  Powers provided the first run with an RBI single to right center before Davidson smacked a three-run homer for the 4-0 lead. Zeller added the final run with a run-scoring single back through the middle of the infield.

Rutgers-Newark would get their run on a Lucas home run in the sixth.

Powers struck out four and did not walk a batter as she scattered eight hits in upping her mark to 9-11. Kelly Yusko (5-6) took the loss for Rutgers-Newark. Hodgins, Powers and Davidson were each 2-for-3 for MSU.

The Red Hawks are back in action on Thursday, April 16 when it hosts Manhattanville College at the MSU Softball Stadium beginning at 3:00 pm.