Clermont, FL – The Montclair State softball team made it six straight wins to open the year as they downed Wheaton (Mass.) College 6-0 and Bridgewater State University 4-3 Monday.
Montclair (6-0) put two runs up in the second, as senior VALENTINA CUCCI led off with a walk. After moving up a base a sacrifice bunt, Cucci came around to score on a double by sophomore KAYLA GALLO. Two batters later, rookie JENNA MELUSO laced a double to center to plate Gallo.
Staked to a 2-0 lead, freshman JILLIAN SIMS fanned two batters in the third before Montclair was able to double their advantage. Two singles and an error loaded the bases for Cucci, and she brought in a run on an infield single to short. After a strikeout, Gallo reached on an infield hit to score junior AMBER POWERS.
Montclair capped off the scoring in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore AMBER REED worked a one-out walk, and Gallo drove her in with a triple to right field. The hitting continued, as junior ALEXA PENNA singled Gallo in with a knock to centerfield. Wheaton (2-3) put runners on base in each of the final two innings but were unable to score any runs.
Powers and senior BLAKE SAPERSTEIN opened the nightcap with consecutive singles before moving up a base on a sacrifice bunt by ELENA RADESICH. Gallo came up next and brought Powers home with a run-scoring groundout. Senior KIARA RUIZ allowed the first two runners to reach base in the bottom of the second but escaped without allowing a run thanks to two straight pop-outs in the infield.
The Red Hawks doubled their lead in the fourth. Penna reached on an infield single and moved over to second base on an error by the shortstop. Meluso was up next and dropped a single to right, plating Penna from second. The Bears jumped in front in the bottom of the fourth, scoring three times on an error by the Red Hawk third basemen.
Montclair nearly leveled the game in the fifth, but Saperstein was called out at the plate trying to score on a Gallo double. Ruiz retired six straight hitters spanning the fifth and sixth, giving MSU a chance to pull even in the seventh. Powers led off the frame with a double to left before moving over to third on a bunt by Saperstein. Radesich knocked in Powers with a single to right, and two batters later, Cucci doubled in pinch-runner AHMIRA MILLER to give MSU the 4-3 edge. The tying run reached base in the home half of the inning, but Ruiz induced a fly-out to left to end the game.
On the same day she was tabbed as the New Jersey Athletic Conference Player of the Week, Powers went 5-for-6 at the top of the lineup over the two games, while Gallo knocked in four runs. Sims struck out eight in the first game, while Ruiz fanned six. The duo combined to surrender no earned runs over 13 1/3 innings and allowed just eight hits.
After a day off, the Red Hawks will face Washington and Jefferson College at 9 am, and Ursinus College at 11:15 am Wednesday.
