Kissimmee, FL – Sophomore left fielder
BLAKE SAPERSTEIN belted a grand slam and finished with five RBI as Montclair State opened its Sunkissed Games appearance with a 10-1 victory over Thiel College on Sunday morning. The Red Hawks fell to Aurora University 6-5 in the second contest later in the day.
Sophomore
KAYLEE POWERS drove in a pair of runs as the Red Hawks (1-1) collected 10 hits in their season opener.
Montclair grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second. Saperstein led off with a walk and went to second on a passed ball. One out later,
ALANA LUNA stroked at double to left field for the game's first run. The Tomcats tied the game in the bottom of the inning however the Red Hawks got that run back and three more in the third.
NOEL HODGINS singled to open the inning and
ELENA RADESICH followed with a walk.
AMBER POWERS singled to load the bases. Thiel recorded an out but Saperstein cleared the diamond with a home run giving MSU a 5-1 advantage. Montclair added to the lead with two runs in the fourth on a
LIA STAMILE RBI double and Saperstein sacrifice fly.
Montclair tacked on three more in the fifth.
KAYLEE POWERS tripled home two runs and scored on a Radesich RBI single.
The 10 runs were more than enough for sophomore righthander
KIARA RUIZ, who allowed four hits and a run. She struck out five and walked one.
In the second game, Aurora (1-0) jumped out to a 5-0 lead after four innings. Josie Betchell belted a two-run home in the fourth giving the Spartans the five-run advantage.
Montclair State answered in the fifth as
AMBER POWERS blasted a three-run shot and the following inning
KAYLEE POWERS singled home a run cutting the deficit to 5-4. In the seventh Stacy Bellack collected and RBI single extending the Aurora lead to 6-4 which proved to be big as the Red Hawks threatened in the bottom of the seventh.
VALENTINA CUCCI drove a single back up the middle scoring
AMBER POWERS and put the tying run at the plate. But Spartan pitcher Britni Wilson stranded the runner there getting a pop up and ground out to end the game.
Wilson (1-0) scattered 10 hits in her complete-game performance. She struck out and allowed just two earned runs. Sophomore
COURTNEY POLITZ (0-1) took the loss.
KAYLEE POWERS, Saperstein and Cucci had two hits apiece for Montclair State.
The Red Hawks are back in action at the Sunkissed Games on Monday, March 5 with two contests. MSU faces Muhlenberg College at 1:30 pm followed by a 3:45 contest versus John Carroll University.
