Mahwah, NJ: The Montclair State University baseball team held off a comeback late in the game by Ramapo College as the #15/18 ranked Red Hawks posted the 9-7 NJAC win. The Red Hawks move to 28-7 overall, 12-3 in the NJAC while the Roadrunners now stand at 25-10 overall and 10-5 in the league.
MSU took a quick 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning aided by a misplayed ball in the outfield that allowed two runners to score. Ramapo got on the board in the bottom of the first inning with one run before tying the game in the third with two.
Zach Novakowski drove in
Julian Caruso in the first before
Eric Knapp laced a double down the left field line in the third to plate both Novakowski and
Nick Pellegrino, 3-3. In the fourth inning with one out, Caruso legged out a double to left-center field before Novakowski was intentionally walked with two outs. Pellegrino stepped up to the plate and dumped the first pitch he saw down the left field line to allow Caruso to score for the 4-3 lead. Jared Levis tied the game for MSU with an RBI single of his own in the sixth before the team added four runs on five hits in the seventh to extend their lead, 8-4. The Roadrunners came right back and scored two runs in the bottom half of the inning. Novakowski and Pellegrino recorded back-to-back singles before a fly ball to right field allowed Novakowski to move up one base. Knapp then lifted a sac fly to right field to earn the RBI before
Dan Maglio drove in Pellegrino with a single of his own. MSU led 8-6 heading into the top of the ninth before they added one more run for a 9-6 lead. Ramapo scratched a run across in the bottom half of the ninth as Knapp led off with a huge triple to right-center field. Following the first out of the inning,
Zach Barbash singled home Knapp. The Roadrunners would bring the game-tying run to the plate with one out. Red Hawk reliever Patrick Teehan induced his second strikeout of the inning before Barbash moved to second on pass ball. Teehan earned his sixth save of the season as he got the final out of the inning, a ground out to first base, as MSU won 9-7. Teehan scattered three hits, struck out three and let up just one run in the final two innings of work to earn the save. Colin Bernhard (3-0) earned the win in relief as he surrendered just one hit in two innings of work. Jared Levis and Michael Wansaw each tallied two hits for the Red Hawks.
For the Roadrunners,
James Kahn (3-4) suffered the loss in his relief appearance. He struck out three, walked three and let up eight hits and five runs in five innings. Novakowski finished 4-4 with two runs scored and one RBI while Caruso, Pellegrino and Knapp all collected two hits.
The Roadrunners and Red Hawks will square off again tomorrow afternoon at Yogi Berra Stadium to complete the NJAC home-and-home series. First pitch is set for 3:30pm.Â
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