Union, NJ – For the second straight day Kean University put together a big rally as the Cougars swept their home-and-home series against Montclair State with 9-8 at Jim Hynes Stadium on Friday afternoon.
On Thursday the Cougars (14-15, 5-3 NJAC) erased a first-inning deficit in a 15-10 victory at Yogi Berra Stadium. Today it was a two-run rally in the bottom of the ninth as Frank LoGuidice delivered the game-winning run on a sacrifice fly after the Red Hawks (16-10, 4-4 NJAC) took a one-run lead in the top of the inning.
Trailing by a run and down to their final three outs, Montclair rallied as
BRODY LABBE and
CHRIS ROTH drew one-out walks.
KYLE MISSRY singled to load the bases however Kean recorded a strikeout for the second out.
JOE NORTON walked to force home the tying run and
NICK MARTINEZ followed with an infield single scoring
JUSTIN BATES for an 8-7 advantage.
Montclair got the first out of the inning however Zach Joe walked and Tim Huxen followed with a base hit. Steven Santigate singled to load the bases before Ryan Ruziecki was hit by a pitch knotting the game at 8-8. LoGuidice lifted a ball to right field scoring Huxen with the game-winning run.
The Red Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the first as
JUSTIN EPIFANIO scored on an error and Labbe recorded a sacrifice fly. After Kean got a run back in its half, Montclair State extended its lead to 4-1 on RBIs by
NICK MARTINEZ in the third and fourth innings. Kean cut the deficit to 4-3 in the fourth but MSU answered with two in the sixth on an RBI doubles by Martinez and
ANDREW OLLWERTHER taking a 6-3 lead.
The Cougars countered with a four-run seventh inning to go back on top. Frank Urso's two-run tripled tied the game and Jim Fitzgerald gave Kean a 7-6 lead with a successful squeeze play.
Kyle Gaeb (1-0) got the victory in relief while Montclair's
AUSTIN MINTON (0-3) took the loss. Martinez was 3-for-4 with four RBI while Epifanio and Roth had two hits each.
The Red Hawks are back on the road for Saturday, April 14 at 17
th-ranked The College of New Jersey. MSU and TCNJ will square off in a doubleheader at Ackerman Park beginning at 11:30 am.