The Montclair State Red Hawks (20-15) split a doubleheader with the TCNJ Lions (23-6) Saturday afternoon at MSU Softball Stadium.
Game 1
Each team’s ace pitchers took the mound as Red Hawks Senior Kayla Volante (10-5) squared off against Lions Junior Ally Schlee (10-0).
After an uneventful first couple of innings, TCNJ started to find the ball in the third. With a man on base, Junior Lauren Conroy was able to slide a single through right field to bring home the first run. Directly after, sophomore Julia Mayernik hit a deep homer to left field to cash in on two runs, giving the Lions an early 3-0 lead.
In the fifth Montclair responded but it wasn’t going to be enough. After Sophomore Danielle DeCarlo and Senior Alexis Law got base hits, Senior Alyssa Borozan split first and second base with a hit to bring them both home. Borozan would be left on base as would all Montclair runners for the remainder of this game. In the following inning, TCNJ doubled their point total with base hits from Junior Jaclyn Carifi and Sophomore Julia Kinally before a two run RBI by Senior Victoria Aspiazu sealed the deal for the Lions as they walked away with a 6-2 victory in Game 1.
Game 2
The second pitching matchup headlined Red Hawks Junior Ali Cavallaro (10-7) against Lions freshman Marina Costello (0-1).
In one of the first at bats for the Red Hawks, Senior Danielle Sibilio popped a solo homer to give Montclair the early one point margin. TCNJ responded two innings later with the same duo of Lauren Convoy getting on base and Julia Mayernik slapping a double into center field to bring her home.
The Red Hawks were in position to really take control of the game in the fourth inning with the bases loaded. Senior Katie DeBell was able to get a sacrifice fly to bring home one runner, however remaining batters struck out and the lead was still only one point. In the sixth, TCNJ responded in similar fashion with runners on first and third, Junior Kaci Neveling singled to right field. While Jaclyn Carifi scored, the runner on second was halted as the ball was retrieved quickly. This was all TCNJ could muster up this game. In the bottom half of the inning, Montclair hit the dagger as Senior Amber Reed hit a solo homer to close out the 3-2 victory for the Red Hawks.
What's Next For Both Teams
The Montclair State Red Hawks (20-15) will have a couple days off before heading over to nearby Jersey City to take on New Jersey City University (9-22) in a double header Tuesday afternoon. The TCNJ Lions (23-6) will have no time to rest as they head back home to host Rutgers-Camden (6-15) in a double header Sunday afternoon and then Rutgers-Newark (12-14) in a doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon.
- Montclair State falls to Hamilton in Division III NCAA Tournament - March 5, 2023
- Montclair State knocks out NJCU to advance to NJAC semi-finals - February 19, 2023
- Montclair Hangs On for Victory Over Kean Cougars - February 11, 2023
