Montclair, NJ – Junior first baseman
PETER COSENTINO homered in each game of the doubleheader and reliever
CHRIS LUM nailed down saves in both ends as Montclair State swept Stockton in non-conference doubleheader at Yogi Berra Stadium on Saturday.
The Red Hawks (8-1) won the first game 7-4 before rallying for five runs in the eighth inning of the nightcap in a 10-8 victory. Stockton fell to 2-2.
The Ospreys plated the game's first run in the top of the first of the opener, with leadoff hitter Marco Meleo scampering home on a wild pitch. Red Hawk starter
BEN LEVINE settled down and retired eight straight hitters from the second to the fourth. Meleo delivered an RBI single in the top of the fifth, giving Stockton a 2-0 advantage.
The lead grew to three on a solo homer from Nick Trifiletti, but
KYLE SEICKEL entered in relief and got a strikeout to end the sixth. After having their bats silenced through five innings, Montclair broke through for two in the sixth. With runners on first and second and one out,
ANTHONY GUARINO reached on an base hit,
MICHAEL MURPHY came around to score, and
SAM ANGELO would touch home on a sacrifice fly by
ERIC HAVNER to trim the deficit to 3-2.
The Red Hawks took the lead for good in the seventh. Cosentino hit a one-out single to left-center before
CHRISTOPHER WALKER walked. After a strikeout, Murphy doubled in both runners to push MSU in front. Angelo was up next and knocked Murphy in with a single through the left side.
CHRIS LUM entered in relief of Seickel and sent the Ospreys down in order in the eighth.
Cosentino provided the final two runs for MSU, hitting a long two-run home run to centerfield.
Stockton threatened in the ninth, but only managed to score one run. Luke Fabrizzi led off with a single and moved to second on a ground out. Meleo singled up the middle drive in Fabrizzi and get the score to 7-4. With the tying run on deck, Lum punched out John Perrino on a 2-2 pitch to end game one.
Seickel (1-0) picked up his first win of the season while Lum earned his second save. Cosentino went 3-for-5 with two RBI in the opener, while Levine struck out six in 5 2/3 innings in the no-decision.
The second game saw Montclair State take advantage an error with outs and turned that into two runs. Murphy drove in
ANDREW OLLWERTHER with a single and
SAM ANGELO followed with a base hit plating Murphy for the 2-0 advantage. Stockton answered in the second with three runs. Garrett DeMarrais drove in the first run with a single with Mike Costanzo belting a two-run homer to left giving the Ospreys the lead.
A Cosentino double that ricocheted off starter Aaron Wisker scored Ollwerther tying the game at 3-3 however Stockton moved back in front in the third. Meleo led off with a single, moved to third on an errant pick-off attempt and scored on a wild pitch. Cosentino deadlocked the game in the fourth with his second home run of the day and fifth of the season.
Two errors by MSU in the sixth allowed the Ospreys to go back on top, 5-4. Trifiletti reached on the first one to lead off the inning and scored on the second miscue. But Montclair answered its half forging a third tie as Ollwerther drove in
JOE NORTON with an infield single. Norton reached on an error to open the inning.
Stockton swung the scoreboard back in its favor with two runs in the seventh. Perrino walked with one out, went to second single by Ryan Swift. An error allowed Perrino to score and Ryan Mihlebach plated another run with a ground out making the score 7-5.
Montclair State threatened in the eighth, loading the bases with one out and cashed in on the opportunity with five runsHavne. r tied the game at 7-7 with a two-out, two-run double down the left field line. An error allowed the go-ahead run to score before Guarino's RBI single made it 9-7. Walker scampered home with the final run.
Stockton did not go away quietly in ninth as the Ospreys put the first two runners and brought Lum out of the bullpen for a second time. The righthander fanned the first hitter, but allowed a double to DeMarrais cutting the deficit to 10-8 with the tying runs in scoring position. However, Lum recorded strikeouts against the next two hitters to nail down the victory and earn his third save.
ALEC BENZINGER got the victory for Montclair State. Cosentino finished 3-for-4.
The Red Hawks are now off until next Saturday, April 3 when it opens New Jersey Athletic Conference play. MSU will be in Mahwah at Jeff Maund Field taking on Ramapo College in a doubleheader beginning at 11:30 am.
