Montclair, NJ – Right-hander ALI CAVALLARO tossed a four-hitter in the opener, and first baseman KAYLA GALLO drove in four runs as Montclair State split a doubleheader with Stockton at the MSU Softball Stadium on Sunday afternoon.
Cavallaro picked up her fifth win of the season as Montclair (7-5, 6-4 NJAC) won the opener, 9-2. Stockton's Lily James lofted a sacrifice fly in the seventh for the go-ahead run as the Ospreys (3-13, 3-9 NJAC) scored in each of the final four innings for a 5-4 triumph.
MSU got off to a hot start in the opener scoring three times in the first inning. AMBER POWERS led off with a double and ALYSSA BOROZAN added a single before Gallo smacked a ball through the left side scoring Powers with the first run. KAYLA COSENTINO singled back through the middle for a 2-0 lead with JENNA MELUSO adding a sac fly for the final run.
Borozan extended the lead to 4-0 in the second, driving in a run with a fielder's choice. Stockton's Jenna Patterson cut that lead in half in the third with a two-run homer. Montclair State answered in its half as AnnalesaDiLaurenzio drove in two with a single restoring the lead to 6-2. MSU closed out its scoring with three in the sixth. Gallo and Cosentino each walked with the bases loaded and AMBER REED recorded an RBI after being hit with the bags full.
Cavallaro struck out two and walked three as she improved to 5-2. Gallo went 2-for-3 at the plate.
In the second game, Stockton led 1-0 on a Vanessa Tancini RBI single in the first inning. Montclair State would go back on top, 2-1 with a run in the second and another in the third. Liani Ortiz knotted the contest back up in the fourth with an RBI triple, however, Montclair regained the lead in the bottom of the inning on a two-out, two-run double by Gallo making the score 4-2.
Patterson brought the Ospreys within a run in the fifth on an RBI single and Stockton tied the game at 4-4 in the sixth on a perfectly executed squeeze play by Ortiz. In the seventh, Meg Murzello led off with a triple to left-centerfield. Two pitches later, James sent a ball to deep left, easily scoring Murzello for the 5-4 lead.
MSU would make it interesting in the bottom of the inning as ALEXIS LAW walked with one out and CHLOE SAPERSTEIN singled putting runners at first and second. James came up with a big play defensively for Stockton as she went into the shortstop hole and managed to get the lead runner a third for the second out. Melissa Semeraro induced a ground ball out to end the game.
Semeraro (2-4) earned the victory as she went the final 3 1/3 innings allowing two hits with one strikeout and two walks. Borozan (1-1) took the loss for MSU. Reed and Saperstein each collected two hits.
The Red Hawks are back home on Tuesday, April 20 hosting New Jersey City University at 3:00 pm in an NJAC doubleheader.
