Center Valley, PA (3/25/10) – Senior second baseman Megan Durkin (West Orange, NJ / West Orange) went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair of runs as Montclair State took the second game of a doubleheader with DeSales 4-2 to earn a split of the twinbill on Thursday afternoon. MSU dropped the first game 2-1 and is now 6-6 on the year.

In the opener, MSU (6-6 overall) took a 1-0 lead in the second inning as Durkin doubled with one out and scored as Shannon Mozek (Wayne, NJ / Wayne Valley) drew a walk with the bases loaded to force in the run. But DeSales (8-6 overall) scored once in the fourth and fifth innings and sophomore Katie Morrissey (Lanoka, Harbor, NJ/Lacey Township) pitched out of a bases loaded, one out jam in the seventh to record her fourth win of the season. In the fourth, junior Sharon Yudt (Whitehall, PA/Whitehall) knocked in sophomore Brianna Chilcoat (Northampton, PA/Northampton) and in the fifth sophomore Christine Petrilla (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) doubled to lead off the inning and later scored on a sacrifice fly from senior Kristen Cybularz (Philadelphia, PA/Archbishop Carroll).

Morrissey recorded her fifth complete-game of the season, allowing six hits and just one run while striking out 10 to improve to 4-4 on the year. Yudt was 4-for-4 at the plate to lead the eight-hit game one attack by DeSales. Senior righthander Elia Persico (Marlton, NJ / Cherokee) suffered the loss falling to 3-4. Persico allowed two runs and eight hits striking out one and walking four.

In the second game, senior Kerri Andrews (Bethlehem, PA/Bethlehem Catholic) led off the top of the first inning with a solo home run and singled home junior Kate Steiner (Walnutport, PA/Northampton) in the second, but the Bulldogs were not able to cross home plate over the final five innings leaving seven runners on-base over the final five frames as the Red Hawks battled back with two runs in the third inning and solo runs in the fourth and sixth innings to earn the doubleheader split.

Trailing 2-0 in the third, Montclair tied the game as Stephanie Szeliga (South Plainfield, NJ / South Plainfield) walked and moved to third as Mozek's ground ball was mishandled putting runners on second and third. Durkin then singled to right scoring the first run. Kelly O'Brien (Edison, NJ / Edison) followed with an RBI ground out to tie the game.

MSU would take the lead the next inning as Tori Ferrante (Edison, NJ / JP Stevens) walked with the bases loaded to force home pinch runner Priscilla Camacho (Jersey City, NJ / County Prep). The Red Hawks added an insurance run in the sixth on Durkin's RBI single.

In the bottom of the seventh, DeSales put two runners on with one out, however freshman righthander Jamie Miller (Spotswood, NJ / St. John Vianney) got the next two hitters out to give MSU a split with the 4-2 victory.

Miller went the distance to earn the win as she improved to 3-1 on the year. She struck out one and walked one.

Montclair State is back out on the road once more before its 2010 home opener at the MSU Softball Stadium on March 31. The Red Hawks are at Oneonta State (NY) on Saturday, March 27 for a 1:00 pm doubleheader.