Union, NJ (5/9/09) –  Senior Jennifer Jimenez (Linden, NJ / Linden) returned from a six-game absence and belted a home run as second-seeded Montclair State split a pair of games in the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament at Kean University on Saturday.

The Red Hawks (27-17) downed Richard Stockton, 6-3 before falling to Rutgers-Camden 3-2. MSU will face Richard Stockton in an elimination game on Sunday, May 10 at 10:00 am and then take two from Rutgers-Camden for a chance at the title.

MSU, making its eighth overall ECAC Tournament appearance, has won seven titles last accomplishing the feat in 2006 when it won three days on the final day, including two against unbeaten Misericordia University.

Rookie Beth Speakman (Sicklerville, N.J.) launched a two-out solo homerun in the top of the seventh to send Rutgers-Camden into the championship game.

The Red Hawks jumped on the scoreboard with two runs in the bottom of the first.  Leslie Gonzalez (North Bergen, N.J.) crossed the plate on a miscue by the Scarlet Raptors after reaching on leadoff single.  Jimenez launched a solo shot, her fifth of the season, to give MSU a 2-0 lead.

In the top of the fourth, freshman Erika Drayton (Blackwood, N.J.) put the Scarlet Raptors on the board with an RBI sacrifice fly. Camden tied things up in the sixth as freshman Lauren Hatzelhoffer (Brick, N.J.) hit a two-out RBI single up the middle to score junior Amanda D'Anduono (Lanoka Harbor, N.J.).

Natalie Powell (Williamstown, N.J.) picked up her second win of the day.  Powell (16-11) tossed a complete game allowing two runs and nine hits.  Reliever Elia Persico (Marlton, N.J.) suffered the loss for the Red Hawks.  Persico allowed one run and two hits in one and a third innings.

Earlier in the day, Montclair pushed across six runs in the bottom of the sixth to erase a 2-1 deficit and defeat #3 Richard Stockton, 7-3.

The Red Hawks (27-16) started the inning by loading the bases with no-outs.  Junior Amanda Livsey (Congers, N.Y.) then tied things up with an RBI walk.  After scoring the go-ahead run on a wild pitch, MSU then poured things on with an RBI single by Kelly Karp (Edison, N.J.) as well as an RBI single by Gonzalez. Shannon Mozek (Wayne, N.J.) closed out the scoring with an RBI walk.

Richard Stockton (26-14) originally tied things up and took the lead with single runs in the third and fourth.  Junior Kelly Dodd (Linwood, N.J.) provided an RBI single in the third while Freshman Ally Roma (West Long Branch, N.J.) lofted a sacrifice fly in the fourth.

Karp earned the win in relief for the Red Hawks.  Karp (13-9) allowed just one run, unearned, and two hits in two and two thirds innings of work.  Kaitlyn Corica (Iselin, N.J.) suffered the loss for Stockton.  Corica (11-6) allowed seven runs, six earned, with four hits and five walks.