Game #1

Game #2 Box Score

Little Falls, NJ (4/14/07) - Montclair State junior righthander Jairo Mendez (Kearny, NJ/Kearny) tossed a complete-game six-hitter in the opener while The College of New Jersey’s senior first baseman Blake
Bullis (Delran, NJ/Delran) drove in two runs in the second game as the Red Hawks and Lions split and NJAC baseball doubleheader at Yogi Berra Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The split leaves both teams with identical 6-4 marks in the NJAC. Montclair State moves back to the .500 mark at 13-13 while the Lions, ranked 11th in Division III, are now 18-8.

In the opener, Mendez picked up his first win of the season as he allowed five singles, a double and one earned run. The junior struck out five and walked two in his 125-pitch performance. Junior lefthander Bob Buskett (Trenton, NJ/Notre Dame) suffered his first loss of the season and his career. Buskett (3-1) went 7 2/3 innings allowing three runs (one earned) and six hits. He too fanned five and walked two. Buskett is now 12-1 in three years with the Lions.

Montclair State got on the board in the second inning with two runs as the Red Hawks took advantage of two TCNJ miscues. Andrew Vicaro (Randolph, NJ/Randolph) reached on a fielding error to open the inning and Marc Palestina (Paramus, NJ/Paramus) was hit by a pitch with one out to put runners at first and second. A second error loaded the bases and Andrew Himmelfarb (Nyack, NY/Nyack) capitalized on the break, bouncing a single up the middle to score Vicaro and Palestina.

The Lions would get a run back in the fourth as Jeff Toth (Parlin, NJ/Sayreville) singled and went to third on a double by Gerard Haran (Old Bridge, NJ/Old Bridge). PJ Anzalone (Vernon, NJ/Vernon) delivered Toth with a ground out to make the score 2-1 however Mendez would strand Haran at third as he got the next hitter to foul out. Montclair pushed the lead back to 3-1 in the sixth as Jeff Miller (Wyckoff, NJ/Ramapo) walked with one out, moved to second on a wild pitch and third on a ground out before scoring on Rob Bowness’ (Sparta, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) infield single.

Mendez would make that lead hold up as he retired 15 of the final 17 batters.

Himmelfarb finished 2-for-3 for Montclair State while Toth was 2-for-4 for the Lions.

In the second game, the Lions jumped out to a 6-0 lead after the first three innings. Anzalone walked and Bill Kropp (Pottstown, NJ/Owen J. Roberts) singled to lead off the game and both later scored as Bullis singled through the middle of the infield. The following inning, Kropp drove home a run with a base hit and Toth’s RBI single scored Anzelone as the Lions built a four-run cushion. TCNJ’s final runs came in the third as Haran led off with a double and scored as Andrew Cosgrove (Lebanon, NJ/North Hunterdon) smacked a single down the left field line. Tyler Hall (Stockton, NJ/Immaculata) accounted for the final run with a sacrifice fly.

Junior righthander Mike Oliver (Crosswicks, NJ/Hamilton West) held the Red Hawks in check to pick up his third victory of the year (3-0). Oliver went the first 7 1/3 innings, scattering eight hits and not
allowing a run until Bowness drove home the lone MSU score in the eighth with a ground out. Oliver struck out seven and walked two before giving way to Dave Waseleski (Lawrenceville, NJ/Lawrence), who got the final five outs, including three by strikeouts. Junior lefthander Enrique Gomez (Edison, NJ/St. Joseph’s) took the loss to fall to 3-2.

Kropp and Toth each had three hits for TCNJ while Haran was 2-for-4. Michael Nunes (Hazlet, NJ/Raritan) and Miller had two hits apiece for the Red Hawks.

Both teams are scheduled to return to action on Monday, April 16 with makeup NJAC contests. Montclair State will be in Union to face Kean University at 3:30 pm while the Lions host Rutgers-Camden at Ackerman Park at the same time.