Wayne, NJ – The Montclair State baseball team was held to just three hits and William Paterson broke the game open late as the host Pioneers knocked off the Red Hawks 7-1 at Jeff Albies Field on Friday afternoon.

Lefthander Chris Babb went the distance, striking out four and walking four while allowing an unearned run as WPU squared its record at 9-9-2 on the year, 2-1 in the NJAC. Junior JOE FOOTE drove in the lone run for the Red Hawks (7-12, 1-2 NJAC).

Senior MICHAEL MANFRA went the first six innings for Montclair and kept the Pioneers off the board through the first five, including an escape of a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the second inning.

MSU would scratch across a run in the top of the fifth. RYAN LONG was hit by a pitch with one out and made his way to third on an errant pickoff throw. Foote then lofted a sacrifice fly for the game's first run.

But that would be the sum total of the Red Hawks offense as Babb retired 12 of the final 14 hitters he faced.

William Paterson would take the lead in the sixth with two runs. Perez tripled in the first tying the game with Bernard Brito giving the Pioneers the lead with an RBI single back through the middle. A single by Mike Knauf added to the lead in the seventh before a four-run eighth broke the game open. Anthony Hoagland and Eriq Colon each had two-run singles in the frame.

Manfra (1-3) took the loss despite a solid start. The righty gave up two runs and six hits, striking out seven and walking two.

The two teams will meet again on Monday, April 10 at Yogi Berra Stadium beginning at 3:30 pm. Before that, MSU will host Rowan University in an NJAC doubleheader on Saturday, April 8 starting at 11:30 am.