Radnor, PA – Junior first baseman PETER COSENTINO belted three home runs in the opener and finished the day with six RBI as Montclair State opened its 2021 season with a sweep of Cabrini University on Sunday afternoon.

Cosentino went 4-for-6 and scored five times as the Red Hawks (2-0) knocked off the Cavaliers (0-2), 9-2 in the opener and 11-2 in the second game. Junior designated hitter CHRISTOPHER WALKER also homered for MSU.

It didn't take the Red Hawks long to put runs on the scoreboard in Game 1. MICHAEL MURPHY was hit by a pitch with one out in the first inning and scored when Cosentino blasted the first of his three round-trippers for the early lead. The celebration barely cooled off from that when Walker crushed an opposite-field shot several pitches later giving Montclair a 3-0 advantage. MSU would add one more run on an RBI single from senior shortstop HAYDEN REYES.

MSU extended its lead to 5-0 in the second as JOE NORTON singled in the infield, stole second and later scored on an error in the outfield. The Cavaliers would get on the board in the bottom of the inning however, Montclair got that back in the fifth on Cosentino's second homer, a solo blast to left-center.

Reyes recorded a second RBI in the sixth on an RBI single that scored BRODY LABBE making the score 7-2. Cosentino capped off his outstanding opener in the seventh with a two-run shot as he became the first Red Hawk to record a multiple-homer contest since Kevin Bond had two against New Jersey City during the 2010 campaign. Cosentino's three homers were also one shy of Dave Kennedy's record of four set during the 1991 NCAA Division III Regional in Ithaca, NY.

PATRICK CUCCURULLO (1-0) struck out six to earn the win as he and lefthander BRIAN REISS combined to allow two runs and four hits.  

Cosentino (3-for-5) and Reyes (2-for-3) accounted for five of Montclair's eight hits in the game.

In the second game, Cabrini took a 1-0 lead in the second on a solo home run, but the Red Hawks erased that deficit in the third with five runs. JOE NORTON tied the game with an RBI triple and Murphy followed with a double putting MSU in front. CHRIS BIOLSI was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force in another run with BRODY LABBE making it a 4-1 lead on a fielder's choice. Labbe came home on a balk for the final run.

The Cavaliers answered with a run in its half of the third before Walker plated two in the top of the fourth on a double down the line. Murphy and Cosentino each had RBIs in the fifth extending the lead to 9-2. Biolsi played a role in the last two runs in the eighth, driving in the first with a base hit and scoring on an error for the 11-2 margin.

Righthander TYLER HIGGINS (1-0) earned the victory in relief, striking out the side in his only inning of work. BEN LEVINE and E.J. Melendez closed out the game with four scoreless innings.

Norton finished the game 3-for-4 with Murphy registering a pair of hits.

The Red Hawks return to action on Saturday, March 13 with another road game. MSU will be at Gwynedd Mercy University for a Noon matchup with the Griffins. It will be the first meeting between the teams since the championship round of the 2001 NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Regional won by Montclair State, 15-13.