Montclair, NJ – Junior
DONALD CUSICK and senior
MICHAEL MACCHIA gave Montclair State a couple of solid pitching performances as the Red Hawks split their NJAC doubleheader with Kean University on Sunday at Yogi Berra Stadium.
Third baseman
KEVIN ALONSO singled home the go-ahead run in the fourth inning of the nightcap as Montclair bounced back from a 2-1 loss in the opener for a 3-1 victory. MSU upped its record to 12-11 overall, 3-2 in the NJAC. The Cougars are also 3-2 in conference play as it improved to 14-11 on the season.
Cusick (1-1) went the distance but wound up a hard-luck loser in the opener. The righty struck out five and allowed just three hits and two unearned runs. Righthander Tyler Hopman won the battle with a complete game of his own. Hoppman (3-0) allowed five hits and a run with six punchouts and two walks.
Matching zeroes through the first five innings, Montclair broke up the scoreless contest in the bottom of the sixth. Murphy reached on a fielder's choice with one out and stole second. Junior second baseman
JOE FOOTE flared a ball into left field scoring Murphy with the game's first run.
Kean responded in the top of the seventh as Ryan Kelley walked to open the inning. MSU ran a pitch out with Kelly going on the offering however the delivery came close enough to the plate allowing Sal Taormina to swing which he did and catcher's interference was called putting runners on first and second. A sacrifice moved both runners up and the Cougars successfully executed the squeeze with Andy Lopez laying down the bunt helping Kean tie the game at 1-1. Ryan Reitmeyer followed with a base hit bringing home Taormina as the Cougars moved in front, 2-1.
Montclair missed out on a golden opportunity to tie the game in the eighth.
RYAN LONG led off with a walk, stole second and went to third after the ball skipped into centerfield. But Hopman settled down and got the first out on a soft liner to first base. He then fanned the next hitter before getting a fly out to escape the jam.
The Red Hawks would get a runner on in the ninth as
KEVIN ALONSO drew a two-out walk. But Alonso was cut down trying to steal second to end the game.
Montclair would again get the first run of the game in the second contest as
PHILIP SCOTT singled home Foote, who doubled with two outs. Kean got that run back in the fourth as Lopez homered to lead off the inning.
MSU regained the lead in its half of the fourth. Scott singled and stole second before moving to third on a wild pitch with one out. Alonso then singled scoring Scott with
IAN LYNCH going to second. A walk loaded the bases before another wild pitch allowed Lynch to score for a 3-1 MSU advantage.
Meanwhile, Macchia shut down the Cougars until the ninth when Kean mounted a rally and threatened to tie the game. Macchia gave up back-to-back singles to open the game. Righthander
TAYLOR PARSONS was summoned from the bullpen and got the first out on a sacrifice that moved the tying runs into scoring position.
Parsons then came up with a huge strikeout for the second out however hit batter loaded the bases. The right-handed sidewinder got the next batter to lineout to Alonso to end the game.
Macchia upped his record to 4-1 on the year allowing seven hits in his eight innings or work. She struck out two and walked two before Parsons came on to record his second save of the year. Frank Dente IV (1-1) took the loss.
Lopez had three hits for the Cougars while Scott went 2-for-4 at the plate for the Red Hawks.
Montclair State returns to action on Monday, April 11 with a makeup contest against fourth-ranked Ramapo College. The Red Hawks, who fell to the Roadrunners 8-2 on Friday, will host the game at Yogi Berra Stadium beginning at 3:30 pm.
