Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State softball team captured the opener of its NJAC doubleheader in walk-off fashion. The Red Hawks enjoyed it so much they decided to do it again as they swept Rutgers-Camden at the MSU Softball Stadium on Saturday.

Junior ELENA RADESICH delivered the game-winner in the bottom of the ninth inning of Game 1 in a 3-2 victory before senior Samantha DiClementi drove home the decisive run in the bottom of the seventh in a 6-5 victory. The wins upped Montclair's record to 23-5 on the season, 4-2 in conference play.

The opener became a pitcher's duel between Montclair's VALENTINA CUCCI and the Raptors (6-10, 2-4 NJAC) Sarah Byrnes. Cucci went the first seven innings allowing an unearned run and six hits with a strikeout and two walks. Meanwhile Byrnes fanned 11 and three hits in her tough-luck loss.

Rutgers-Camden got on the board in the second inning as Byrnes scored on a two-out error. Montclair State evened the game in the fourth on a BLAKE SAPERSTEIN singled into left-center scoring pinch-runner KATIE DEBELL.

From there it was matching zeroes on the board until the eighth when Rutgers-Camden moved in front during the tiebreaker. Rachel Edwards came through with a clutch two-out single scoring Nina Arroyo for a 2-1 lead. Montclair State got a key two-out hit of its own in the bottom of the inning when Cucci came through with a two-out single knotting the contest at 2-2.

Montclair then came up with a huge defensive play in the ninth inning. Shortstop AMBER POWERS made a diving play on a ball up the middle and then flipped to second for a double play. NICOLE MAJEWSKI, who entered the game in the eighth, fanned the next hitter to end the inning. DiClementi began MSU's half at second base. Radesich fouled off two sacrifice attempts on the first two pitches and remained alive for three more. Down 1-2 in the count, Radesich flicked a pitch into right field allowing DiClementi to score with the game-winning run.

Majewski got the win allowing a hit with one strikeout. Cucci and Saperstein had two hits each for Montclair State.

The second game took shape like the first one as again the Raptors led 1-0 in the third on an RBI double by Davis. Saperstein matched that with run-scoring single in the bottom of the inning. DiClementi singled home the next run and Radesich's two-run single put MSU in front 4-1.

Rutgers-Camden trimmed that deficit to a run in the fourth as Karlie Kennedy tripled with two outs and Marissa Beebe's infield singled in the fifth tied the game at 4-4. Montclair regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth on a Saperstein single into right center.

Down to its final three outs, the Scarlet Raptors were able to tie the game in the top of the seventh as Arroyo singled scoring Kacie Pisani, who opened the inning with a bunt base hit. An error later in the inning loaded the bases however Majewski, who entered the game just before the Red Hawk miscue, got a pop-up and strikeout to keep the game deadlocked at 5-5.

Byrnes retired the first two hitters in the bottom of the seventh, but walked Cucci with one out. Saperstein bounced a single through the left side moving pinch-runner DeBell into scoring position. DiClementi followed with a double up the gap in right center for the game-winning run.

Majewski earned her second win of the day as she improved to 6-1. Byrnes (4-7) suffered her second tough loss of the day. Saperstein was 4-for-4 with DiClementi going 2-for-4.

Montclair State is back in action on Tuesday, April 9 on the road at Ramapo College with first pitch set for 3:00 pm.