WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson baseball team (21-10, 7-4 NJAC) was never able to break through for a big inning, suffering a 7-3 home loss to Montclair State (25-7, 10-1 NJAC) April 21.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A leadoff walk, bunt single, wild pitch, base hit through the left side and two singles up the middle allowed the Red Hawks to touch the plate three times during the top of the second inning.
• After senior center fielder Justin Grippo (Mahwah, N.J./Mahwah) reached first on a fielder's choice, senior shortstop Chris Liriano (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) drew a walk and senior third baseman Colin Lombardo (Edison, N.J./Edison) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, a two-out error allowed WP to score one run and make it a 3-1 game.
• Senior designated hitter Dan Carter (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) started the third with a single that the third baseman threw away, leaving him on second base. Sophomore second baseman Jake Lutz (River Vale, N.J./Pascack Valley Regional) was issued a two-out walk on a wild pitch, and Grippo's ground ball was thrown short to first, a two-out error that scored Carter and cut the deficit to 3-2.
• Three base hits, a hit by pitch and a sacrifice fly scored two MSU runs in the fourth, and an unearned run in the sixth gave the Red Hawks a 6-2 lead.
• Montclair State used a base hit, double and RBI-single to score once during the top half of the seventh inning.
• WP got that run back during its next at-bat. Senior catcher Steve Yelin (River Edge, N.J./River Dell Regional) opened the inning with a double to deep center, Carter walked, and a groundout advanced the runners. Senior right fielder Vinnie Martin's (Lodi, N.J./Bergen Catholic) fly ball to center was deep enough to score Yelin, making it a 7-3 game.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Lutz finished 3-for-3 with a pair of walks, and Carter went 2-for-3 while scoring once and walking twice.
• Senior Matt Lawler (Linwood, N.J./Mainland Regional) surrendered six runs (five earned) on 10 hits and two walks, striking out three during his 5.1 innings (3-0).
• Junior Dan Castaneda (Bergenfield, N.J./Bergenfield) tossed 1.2 innings and allowed one run and four hits. Freshman Pat Pantoliano (Secaucus, N.J./Secaucus) pitched 2.0 shutout innings, scattering two hits and a walk while registering a pair of strikeouts.
• WP couldn't truly cash in on a number of its opportunities, leaving 16 runners on base, including loaded in the second and eighth frames, and two on in the first, third, sixth, seventh and ninth innings.

 
UP NEXT:

• The Pioneers and Red Hawks will square off in Montclair Friday, April 22, at 3:30 p.m.

 
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