Montclair, NJ - Freshman infielder IAN LYNCH drove in five runs while pitchers MICHAEL MACCHIA and DONALD CUSICK each pitched seven innings as Montclair State opened its New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule with a doubleheader sweep of Stockton University at Yogi Berra Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Senior KEITH MURPHY and junior PHILIP SCOTT each drove in three runs as the Red Hawks edged the Ospreys 5-4 in the opener before coming back for for 9-1 win in the nightcap as MSU moved to 11-9 on the season (2-0 NJAC) while posting its second and third straight victories.

Macchia and Stockton righthander Mike Bergin matched each other in the opener with eight innings or work. Both had one bad inning however it would be Bergin's whose was a little more damaging as Montclair scored five times in the first inning. 

The Red Hawks opened the bottom of the first with six consecutive hits. RYAN LONG led off with a base hit and brother MATT LONG singled to put runners on the corners. After MATT LONG stole second, JOE FOOTE singled up the middle for the game's first run. Scott followed with an RBI single back through the middle and Murphy reached on a bunt single to load the bases. Lynch brought everyone home with a double up the gap in right center for a 5-0 MSU lead.

That's the way the game stood until the fourth when Macchia ran into his trouble. The Ospreys loaded the basses with no out on a pair of walks and base hit. A sac fly plated the first run and a RBI double made the score 5-2. Antonio Morello tripled to center field scoring two more as Stockton pulled within a run. The Osrepys nearly tied the game however Foote came up with a great defensive play on a ball up the middle toend the threat and keep MSU inthe lead.

In the ninth, Macchia got the first two outs but walked the next two hitters. Sophomore righthander AUSTIN MINTON was summoned from the bullpen with the tying run on second base. Minton induced a grounder to second that Foote bobbled. He would recovered and flipped the ball to first base on a bang-bang play for the final out.

Macchia picked up the win as he improved to 3-1. The lefty allowed seven hits and four runs, striking out three and issuing four free pases. Minton, making his second relief appearance of the season, got the save, his first of the year. RYAN LONG and Foote had three hits each for MSU within Scott and Lynch each registering a pair.

The Red Hawks' first-inning output continued in the second game. Scott laced a two-run triple and Lynch lofted a sacrifice fly for a 3-0 MSU advantage. Lynch doubled in a run in the third with Murphy tripling in another as Montclair extended the lead to 5-0. MATT LONG singled in brother Ryan and KEVIN CAMPBELL in the fourth giving the Red Hawks a sevne-run cushion.

Cusick went without a blemish through the first five innings before running into trouble in the fifth. Two hits and an error allowed Stockton to load the bases with no one out. But Cusick minimized the damage with a double-play that scored one out. He then struck out the next hitter to end the inning.

Murphy accounted for the final two runs with a two-RBI double in the seventh inning.

Cusick (1-0) picked up his first decision of the year as he struck out four and gave up 10 hits in seven innings. Minton fanned four and allowed a pair of hits in recording the final six outs.

PETER PENA, MATT LONG, RYAN LONG and Murphy all had two hits for MSU. Scott was 2-for-4 with two triples tying the single-game record as he became the first player to do that since Michael Nunes against Wheaton College (MA) in 2008.

Montclair State returns to action on Monday, April 3 with a 3:30 pm contest at Neumann University in Aston, PA.