Kissimmee, FL – Junior leftfielder
BLAKE SAPERSTEIN had five hits and drove in three runs as Montclair State earned a split of its first two contests at The Spring Games on Monday. The Red Hawks (1-1) fell to Eastern Connecticut 4-3 before bouncing back for a 4-2, 8-inning win over Westminster College (PA).
In the first game, the Warriors (2-0) took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning before MSU answered in its half with two runs.
ELENA RADESICH singled to center scoring
SAM DICLEMENTI knotting the game at 1-1. Freshman second baseman
TAYLOR BROWN plated
AMBER POWERS with an infield hit giving Montclair the lead.
Eastern Connecticut regained the lead in the second as Megan Hodgdon launched a two-run homer to center. Montclair State was able to tie the game in the third on a Saperstein RBI single but the Warriors went back on top in the sixth as Hodgdon laid down a perfect squeeze bunt scoring Sabrina LeMere with the go-ahead run.
Morgan Bolduk (2-0) got the victory for ECSU as she scattered eight hits and struck out eight in the complete-game effort.
KIARA RUIZ (0-1) took the loss for the Red Hawks. Powers was 3-for-4 with Saperstein collecting two hits.
Against Westminster, Montclair found itself down 2-0 after two innings before getting a run back in the third on a Powers RBI double. Saperstein's bunt single in the sixth tied the game at 2-2 and it would be onto extra innings.
Montclair took the lead as the Red Hawks pulled off a successful double steal with Radesich swiping home for a 3-2 lead. Saperstein followed with a double scoring DiClementi.
Righthander
NICOLE MAJEWSKI (1-0) made that lead hold up as she retired three of the four batters she faced. Majewski fired three shutout innings to close out the contest. She allowed two hits with a walk and two strikeouts.
Saperstein was 3-for-4 with DiClementi and Powers getting two hits apiece.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Tuesday, March 12 with two more contests. Montclair faces Suffolk University at 9:45 am followed by a 1:30 matchup with Lake Forest College.