Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University baseball team took down St. Joseph's Long Island 7-4 on Sunday afternoon at Yogi Berra Stadium.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Red Hawks (2-0) fell behind in the first, as a single through the right side drove in a runner from second. Montclair countered immediately in that same frame, as three consecutive walks loaded the bases for MARCUS JOHNSON, who doubled to left center to clear the deck and give the home side a two-run advantage.
• St. Joseph's Long Island cut the deficit in half in the third on a double to left center, and escaped a jam in the bottom portion of the inning with a strikeout with two runners in scoring position. Looking to level the contest in the fourth, the Golden Eagles placed a runner on third with two outs, but PATRICK CUCCURULLO induced a ground ball to short to prevent the rally.
• After EVAN WOOD entered the contest in the fifth and recorded a strikeout and double play, the Red Hawks doubled their advantage in their half of the stanza. With runners on first and second with two outs, MATTHEW RINALDI singled through the right side to plate MILES FEASTER.
• The visitors tacked on their third run of the contest in the sixth, but Montclair answered immediately on a Lukas Egenhuaser triple and JARED LEVIS sacrifice fly. The Golden Eagles plated another run in the seventh on a wild pitch but could not tie the game as NICK DESIDERIO entered and induced a popout to the catcher.
• PATRICK TEEHAN struck out two batters in the eighth, and Montclair made one final offensive push in the bottom half of the inning. Johnson singled through the right side to plate MICHAEL MURPHY, and three batters later, a wild pitch brought DYLAN BRIGGS home to increase the margin to three. Teehan closed the door in the ninth 1-2-3 to clinch the victory for the Red Hawks.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Johnson led the way offensively for Montclair, as he tallied three hits and four runs batted in on the day. 
• Cuccurullo struck out five batters over four innings, with Wood picking up the victory with an inning and two thirds on the mound.
• Teehan notched his second consecutive save to open the campaign, the fifth of his collegiate career. He retired six of the seven batters he faced, striking out three.

FROM THE FIELD

"A better pitching performance for us today against a quality opponent gave us an opportunity to grind out a solid win." - Head Coach Dave Lorber

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will continue their season-opening four game homestand on Tuesday, February 25, against the University of Mount Saint Vincent. First pitch at Yogi Berra Stadium is scheduled for 2:00 PM.