Box Score
NEWARK, N.J. – Montclair State (25-15) took a 4-0 lead after three innings en route to a 10-1 victory against William Paterson (23-19) in an elimination game of the 2008 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Baseball Tournament May 4 at Newark's Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium.
The second-seeded Red Hawks will face fourth-seeded Rowan (31-11) at 6:00 p.m. for the right to face top-seeded Kean (33-9) Monday, May 5, at 1:00 p.m. The Cougars are 3-0 at the double-elimination tournament following an 18-9 victory against Rowan earlier on Sunday. Should the winner of the Montclair State/Rowan May 4 contest defeat the Cougars on Monday, the two teams will play a second contest Monday at approximately 4:00 p.m. to determine the NJAC championship.
Senior catcher Jeff Miller led the Red Hawks with a 3-for-5 day at the plate, five RBI, three runs scored, a double and a home run. Senior first baseman Lou Politan was 3-for-4 and scored three runs, and junior third baseman Stephen Piscitello was 2-for-5 with a two-run home run.
Sophomore second baseman Vin Ganz (Waterbury, Conn./Holy Cross) was 2-for-4 with a RBI for William Paterson, and sophomore right fielder Mike Guadango (Upper Saddle River, N.J./Northern Highlands) went 2-for-3 with a double. Sophomore outfielder Andrue Laguerre (Jersey City, N.J./St. Benedict's Prep) added a pair of doubles, and senior shortstop Dan Limone (Teaneck, N.J./Teaneck) was 1-for-4 with two stolen bases to finish his career with a Pioneer-record 95 steals, including a program-best 38 this spring.
Sophomore right-hander Jesus Castano was the winner on the mound (2-0), pitching 7.0 innings of six-hit ball and allowing just one run. Freshman left-hander Chris Mongelli (Riverdale, N.J./Pompton Lakes) suffered the loss (3-4) after 4.0 innings, allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned).
Junior left fielder Ed Kloepping started the scoring in the top of the second, lifting a solo shot over the right-field fence. The Red Hawks extended that advantage to 4-0 in the third, thanks to a two-run Miller single and a run-scoring Rob Bowness double down the left-field line. Miller made it a 6-0 edge with a two-run homer in the fifth. The Pioneers' Laguerre later kept it a six-run game in the sixth, snatching Kevin Cuozzi's fly ball back from going over the left-field wall with one out and a runner on first.
Laguerre broke the scoreless drought for the Pioneers in the seventh after a double inside the third-base bag, a grounder that moved him to third base, and a Ganz RBI-single through the left side of the infield. The Red Hawks plated four runs in the top of the ninth, two coming from a Piscitello round-tripper to left field.
