Montclair, NJ –
JASON MOORE delivered a walk-off single in the second game to propel the Montclair State baseball team to a sweep of Ramapo College Sunday afternoon.
PATRICK CUCCURULLO allowed one hit over six innings for Montclair State (20-7, 5-1 NJAC) in the opener
MICHAEL MURPHY went a perfect 3-for-3 at the dish in the nightcap. Moore's walk-off single was the second of his career, with his previous one coming precisely one year ago when he belted a game-winning three-run homer against Stockton.
The Red Hawks, who were the visiting team in the first game, tallied two runs in the top of the first.
PETER COSENTINO was hit by a pitch, and
JORDEN JURKIEWICZ walked, which brought up
ANDREW OLLWERTHER, who singled Cosentino home with a drive up the middle.
MILES FEASTER was up next and delivered a single through the right side to double the lead. Montclair State exploded for three runs in the third, with Ollwerther singling in Jurkiewicz to start the scoring.
ANTHONY GUARINO had the big hit of the inning, a two-run single to right field.
The Roadrunners notched their first hit of the afternoon in the third before a walk and put runners on first and second with no outs. Cuccurullo got a 4-6-3 double play to erase the base-runner before a strikeout ended the third. Jurkiewicz and Murphy notched RBI singles in the fourth before the duo scored on Ramapo miscues. Cuccurullo notched another double-play grounder in the fifth before MSU tallied two runs and one hit in the sixth.
The Red Hawks capped off the scoring in the eighth, scoring three times on three hits.
JOE GISONDA had an RBI double before
JOE NORTON had a run-scoring groundout. Gisonda scampered home on a wild pitch as Montclair State led 14-0 after seven and a half innings before the Roadrunners broke through for five in the eighth but could not get any closer.
Cuccurullo fanned nine over his six innings of work, while Jurkiewicz and Ollwerther tallied three hits apiece. Guarino had three RBI while Feaster knocked in a pair.
After the high-scoring affair in game one, game two featured Ramapo pushing two runs across in the first inning despite not having a hit bring the runs in. Rookie
MATT PONTARI settled down and only allowed one run over the next four innings. The Red Hawks loaded the bases in the second and third stanzas but could not tally a run.
Montclair finally put a run on the board in the fourth using a little small ball. Moore walked with one out before advancing up a base on a
RYAN MCKENNA sacrifice bunt. Norton hit a grounder to short that was booted, and the ball scooted into left field, allowing Moore to score. The Red Hawks drew even in the fifth as Ollwerther belted a home run down the right-field line. Neither side scored over the next two innings, but Ramapo nearly took the lead back in the sixth. After consecutive walks to open the frame,
DARREN GONZALEZ had a runner picked off, but a rundown ensued. The lead runner was safe, but a 2-6-5-1-4-3 rundown nabbed the runner back at first base. After a flyout, Gonzalez picked off Harold Calero, who was caught leaning off second base.
The Red Hawks took their first lead of the nightcap, with Norton singling and stealing second with two down. Feaster dropped a single into right field, putting MSU in front 4-3. Gonzalez was replaced in the ninth by
NICHOLAS SEFICK, but the Roadrunners tied the game on a bunt attempt that was thrown away. Sefick rebounded, getting a big swinging strikeout and a foul out to give MSU a final chance before extra innings.
Murphy led off the ninth with a single up the middle before
BLAISE RANTANEN was plunked by a pitch. Rantanen attempted to sacrifice Murphy to second, but the HBP put men on first and second.
SAM ANGELO was next, and he also tried to bunt, yet the first pitch sailed to the backstop, allowing Murphy and Rantanen to move up. Angelo was intentionally walked, but Guarino bounced into a fielder's choice for the first out. Moore was up next, and he dunked a single in front of the left fielder to score Rantanen from third and give MSU the come-from-behind, walk-off win.
Ollwerther, Norton, and Feaster notched two hits to go along with Murphy's three, while Pontari struck out four in five innings.
The Red Hawks return to Yogi Berra Stadium on Thursday to host New Jersey City at 3:30 pm.
