Newark, NJ – The Montclair State baseball team held off rallies by Rutgers-Newark in each game as the Red Hawks swept the Scarlet Raiders in the NJAC opener for both teams on Saturday afternoon.
PETER COSENTINO homered in the opener and MSU scored twice off an error in the top of the ninth of the nightcap lifting the Red Hawks to 5-4 and 9-8 victories at Weequahic Park. Montclair improved to 17-6 on the season, 1-1 in the NJAC.
In game one, Montclair trailed 2-0 after the first but was able to take a 5-2 after six innings.
JORDEN JURKIEWICZ singled home a run in the third, and a
JOE NORTON sacrifice fly in the fifth tied the game at 2-2. Cosentino blasted his eighth home run of the year, a two-run shot later in the inning to give MSU the lead.
ANTHONY GUARINO came home on an error in the sixth to extend Montclair State's advantage to 5-2.
The Scarlet Raiders (10-7, 1-1 NJAC) pulled within 5-4 in the seventh inning on a walk and hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Rutgers-Newark threatened for more, however, reliever
JACK HAVESON got a pop-up to end the inning.
Haveson would get out of another jam in the eighth unscathed, but he allowed a one-out double in the ninth putting the tying run in scoring position. The righty would bear down and retire the next two batters to end the game.
Junior lefthander
PATRICK CUCCURULLO (4-2) got the victory as he went the first 6 2/3 innings allowing seven hits and four runs. He struck out eight before giving way to Haveson, who recorded the final seven outs for his fifth save of the season.
Cosentino, Guarino, and Moore had two hits apiece for Montclair.
In the second contest, Rutgers-Newark grabbed a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first before the Red Hawks turned that into a 5-3 lead in the fifth with three runs. Michel Murphy gave pushed Montclair in front with an RBI double and
MILES FEASTER was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for the two-run cushion.
The Raiders answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth and moved back on top in the seventh scoring four times for an 8-5 advantage. Jurkiewicz pulled the Red Hawks within a run with a two-out double trimming the deficit to 8-7.
In the ninth, pinch-hitter
MAX MCLOUGHLIN led off with a single and stole second.
REECE MALEK was hit by a pitch putting runners at first and second. Guarino then laid down a bunt that was thrown away allowing McLoughlin and Malek to score and suddenly the Red Hawks led 9-8.
Rutgers-Newark would not go quietly in the ninth as the leadoff hitter reached on a base hit and was sacrificed to second. Another hit moved the tying run to third and the winning run at first. Lefthander
ETHAN GONZALEZ, who entered in the ninth inning came up with a huge strikeout for the second out before closing out the game with a liner to right field for the final out.
Righthander
NICHOLAS SEFICK earned the victory in relief with Gonzalez registering his first save of the year.
Cosentino was 4-for-5 with Jurkiewicz posting a 3-for-4 day at the plate. Fester and Moore had two hits each for Montclair.
The Red Hawks return to action on Thursday, April 7 on the road in Mahwah for the first game of a home-and-home with Ramapo College. First pitch on Thursday at Jeff Maund Field is set for 3:30 pm with the two teams squaring off at Yogi Berra Stadium at the same time on Friday, April 8.
