Camden, NJ (4/10/10) – The Montclair State University baseball team rallied for four runs in the top of the fifth inning and held off Rutgers-Camden in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete a New Jersey Athletic Conference sweep over the Scarlet Raptors with a 6-5 victory here Saturday at Campbell’s Field.

The Red Hawks won the opener, 2-1, behind the six-hit pitching of southpaw Sean Hille (Edison, NJ/St. Joseph’s-Metuchen).

The victories lift Montclair State to 12-7 overall and 5-2 in the NJAC, while Rutgers-Camden falls to 11-10 overall and 2-4 in the conference.

Montclair State hosts King’s College Sunday in a 2 p.m. non-conference game. Rutgers-Camden returns to action Monday, playing a 3:30 p.m. non-conference game at DeSales University.

Montclair State 2, Rutgers-Camden 1

In the opening game, Hille outdueled Rutgers-Camden sophomore righty Andrew Hoffman (Cherry Hill, NJ/Cherry Hill West) in a pitchers’ duel. The Montclair State lefty hurled a six-hitter, allowing only one earned run, while striking out eight to raise his record to 5-0. Hoffman (2-3) worked 8-1/3 innings, scattering 14 hits and four walks, while allowing only two earned runs. He struck out three.

Rutgers-Camden scored its only run in the first inning when sophomore second baseman Jon Hydock (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) reached on a one-out infield single. He advanced to second on a single by senior first baseman Matt Hunt (Marlton, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) and scored on a single to right-center by senior catcher Greg Hunt (Marlton, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton). The RBI single was the 100th hit of Greg Hunt’s Rutgers-Camden career.
Montclair State, which left 14 runners on base in the game, scored the only two runs it needed in the third inning following a leadoff walk to senior right fielder Scott Evangelist (Northfield, NJ/Holy Spirit) and a double to left by sophomore catcher Kevin Bond (Cedar Grove, NJ/Cedar Grove). Junior center fielder Michael Boggi (Towaco, NJ/Montville) followed with a two-run single to right-center.

For the game, Boggi went 3-for-5 with his two RBIs, while Bond, Evangelist and freshman first baseman Jason Chesterman (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield) each added two hits.

For the Scarlet Raptors, both Matt and Greg Hunt had two hits apiece.

Montclair State 6, Rutgers-Camden 5

Trailing, 3-2, in the nightcap, the Red Hawks sent eight men to the plate against a pair of Raptor hurlers in a four-run fifth inning, which was sparked by a leadoff double from Evangelist. Boggi singled and advanced to second on the play as Evangelist was held at third. Moments later, both players advanced on a wild pitch, with Evangelist scoring the tying run. Freshman third baseman Matthew Moreno (Park Ridge, NJ/Park Ridge) singled home Boggi with the go-ahead run and after a walk to junior designated hitter Michael Ercolano (Vernon, NJ/Vernon Township), the Red Hawks pulled a double steal. That set the stage for a two-out, two-run single by sophomore left fielder Mickey McGraw (Morristown, NJ/Morristown).

A run-scoring triple by Matt Hunt in the bottom of the fifth cut the gap to 6-4 and set the stage for a wild finish in the ninth against the third Red Hawks pitcher, senior William Traverso (Verona, NJ/Verona). The Raptors loaded the bases on a walk, a hit batsman and a single by senior third baseman Jamie Williams (Vineland, NJ/Delsea Regional) before plating one run on a fielder’s choice by junior left fielder Tom Clarke (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial). After a strikeout and another hit batsman reloaded the bases with two outs, Traverso coaxed a force out at second base on a fielder’s choice grounder to end the game and earn his second save.

Sophomore Kevin Miller (Bloomfield, NJ/Bloomfield), the second of three Red Hawk pitchers, earned the win to improve to 2-0. He worked 3-2/3 innings of three-hit, shutout relief.

Raptor junior starter Dan Fimiani (Pittsgrove, NJ/Schalick) took the loss to even his record at 1-1. He worked 4-1/3 innings, allowing six hits, four walks and four earned runs. He struck out two.

Bond, Moreno and McGraw had two hits apiece for Montclair State.

Sophomore designated hitter John Santilli (Folsom, NJ/St. Joseph-Hammonton) went 3-for-3 with two RBIs for the Raptors. Matt Hunt and senior shortstop Kyle Ballay (Delran, NJ/Delran) each added two hits.