Montclair, NJ – The Montclair State University baseball team split a Senior Day doubleheader with Rutgers-Newark on Saturday afternoon at Yogi Berra Stadium.

The Red Hawks (23-12, 9-5, NJAC) fell 11-10 in 11 innings in the opener before surging to a 18-1 triumph in game two.

GAME ONE

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Montclair jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on a wild pitch that allowed JARED LEVIS to come home from third, but the visitors equalized in the second on a single up the middle following a triple to right field. Rutgers-Newark took their first lead in the third on a double to center field, followed up by a single to double the lead to 3-1. The Scarlet Raiders plated two more markers later in the stanza on a double to right center and a single to left field to take a four-run advantage.
• Rutgers-Newark added their sixth run of the day an inning later on a sacrifice fly with the bases loaded. The Red Hawks began to rally in the home half of the fourth, as consecutive walks and a hit batter loaded the bases for ZACH STEARNS, who was also hit by a pitch to bring in a run. Following a pitching change, MARCUS JOHNSON used a sacrifice fly to bring in CHRIS GONZALO, and Levis scored during the next at-bat on a pickoff attempt across the diamond to first to cut the deficit to two.
• After the Scarlet Raiders notched a run in the fifth, Montclair mounted the second half of their rally to reclaim the lead. CHASE FISCHER reached on an error, BILLY TIGAR walked, and MICHAEL MURPHY singled to load the bases for LUKAS EGENHAUSER, who worked a walk to plate a runner. MILES FEASTER singled to bring in the second run of the stanza, and Gonzalo was hit by a pitch to bring in another marker. After another pitching change, Levis reached on a fielder's choice to put Montclair in front, and Johnson singled to right field later in the inning to drive in two more runs.
• PATRICK TEEHAN entered the game in relief in the sixth and retired the first six batters he faced, but the visitors pushed back to level the contest in the eighth. Following back-to-back singles and a hit batter to load the bases, another hit batter and single through the left side cut the margin to one. A double play during the next at-bat allowed the game-tying runner to cross the plate. Rutgers-Newark recorded double plays defensively in three consecutive innings and took the lead in the 11th on a sacrifice fly to claim game one.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Johnson led the way with three runs batted in, the fourth time this season he has plated three or more runs in a contest.
• Levis increased his hitting streak to 13 games, and Murphy tallied a season-high three hits at the plate.
• PATRICK CUCCURULLO got the start and notched five innings pitched, striking out four batters, while Teehan threw the final six frames, punching out a season-high eight.

GAME TWO

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Montclair raced out to a 7-0 lead after the opening inning of game two, putting the first two batters on with walks, with Johnson loading the bases on a single to right field. The Red Hawks plated three runs on consecutive bases-loaded walks and added a fourth on a sacrifice fly from Egenhauser. After BRODY DIERS walked to load the bases again, a balk drove in the fifth marker of the stanza. During the next at-bat, Gonzalo singled to left field to bring in the final two tallies of the opening inning.
• A sacrifice fly put the Scarlet Raiders on the board in the second, but the Red Hawks countered with another pair of runs in the home half of the frame on a leadoff home run from CHASE FISCHER and an error that allowed Murphy to score from third. The home side continued to surge offensively in the following stanza, as Murphy was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to bring in Johnson. Following a pitching change, back-to-back walks allowed two more markers to go on the board to make the margin 11 after three.
• Consecutive walks to kick off the fifth allowed Diers to drive in both runners on a double down the right field line to clear the bases. After a groundout allowed Diers to move to third, Levis brought him home on another groundout for Montclair's 15th run of the contest. The Red Hawks added three more the next inning, as back-to-back doubles put two runners in scoring position for Egenhauser, who singled down the right field line to drive in Tigar. MATT SHUHET entered the game as a pinch hitter during the next at-bat and singled to left field to bring in another marker, and JOEY NOLAN drove in the final run of the day on a sacrifice fly to right field.

INSIDE THE RESULTS

• Egenhauser matched his season-high of three runs batted in on a pair of hits. He has reached base safely in six of his last seven contests. Diers also brought in three RBI, his second-highest mark of the campaign.
• Fischer recorded his sixth home run of the season, with his pair of hits increasing his total to five over Montclair's last three games. Murphy tallied his seventh multi-RBI performance of the year, with Gonzalo driving in his seventh and eighth runs over his last four games.
• Levis has reached base safely in each of Montclair's last 17 contests dating back to March 21.
• COLIN DOWLEN earned his fourth victory of the season on the mound, throwing five innings, striking out three, and allowing just two hits. MICHAEL TODARO notched his second three-inning relief performance of the year, with NICK DESIDERIO closing out the game with a scoreless ninth.

FROM THE FIELD

"After a 3-1 week, we will look to shift our focus to closing out the regular season strong next week and try to earn a spot in the 2025 NJAC Tournament." - Head Coach Dave Lorber

UP NEXT

The Red Hawks will travel to face Rutgers-Camden on Thursday, April 24. First pitch from Camden, NJ is scheduled for 3:30 PM.