Montclair, NJ – Senior shortstop ALYSSA BOROZAN belted a two-run homer with AMBER REED and Kaite DeBell each added two RBI in the second game as Montclair State earned a split of its NJAC opener with Rutgers-Newark on Saturday afternoon.
Righthander KAYLA VOLANTE settled down after a rough first inning as MSU (17-6, 1-1 NJAC) bounced back from a one-run loss in the opener for a 9-3 victory. In the first game, KAYLA COSENTINO had two RBI, a 4-3 loss.
After dropping the one-run contest in Game 1, Montclair found itself down 3-0 in the top of the first inning as the Scarlet Raiders (6-7, 1-1 NJAC) scored three times, taking advantage of two Montclair errors. Jackie Lara singled in the first two and later scored on an error.
MSU responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half to tie the game up. Cosentino singled home Borozan with the first run. KATIE DEBELL added another with a ground out, and Reed's single back through the middle knotted the contest a 3-3.
Borozan belted a two-run shot off the scoreboard in left in the second to put Montclair in front, 5-3. Reed extended the lead to 5-3 in the third when the Red Hawks tallied three times. MARIAH CARRASCO had an RBI single with ANNALESA DILAURENZIO driving home Carrasco for an 8-3 advantage. DeBell got the final MSU run in the sixth on an RBI single, scoring Cosentino.
Volante would scatter five hits over the final six innings to improve to 8-1 on the year. She struck out four and walked two, giving up just one earned run. Michelle Cappizano (3-3) took the loss for the Scarlet Raiders.
DANIELLE SIBILIO went 3-for-4 with Cosentino, DeBell, Reed, and DiLaurenzio, collecting two hits. Montclair totaled 15 hits in the game.
In the first game, an error by the Red Hawks in the third gave Rutgers-Newark a 1-0 lead. However, Montclair erased that in its half of the inning as Cosentino ripped a two-run triple giving MSU the lead. The Raiders regained the lead in the fifth with a pair of runs, but again the Red Hawks answered, tying the game at 3-3 on a Sibilio base hit.
Michelle McMillan delivered what turned out to be the difference in the game in the sixth inning; an RBI double down the left-field line that scored Riley Sucralli for the 4-3 advantage.
Lara (3-3) would make that hold up in the bottom of the seventh. MSU would get the tying run in scoring position with two outs. However, Lara struck out the final batter. Lara allowed four hits and three runs, striking out nine. Righthander ALI CAVALLARO (9-4) took the loss for the Red Hawks. Cavallaro fanned 10 batters.
Borozan, who stole four bases in the opener and five on the day, had two hits.
The Red Hawks are back in action on Tuesday, April 5, as they go on the road to Union, NJ, to face Kean University in a 3:00 pm NJAC matchup.
