Game 1 Box Score
Game 2 Box Score
Little Falls, NJ... Montclair State junior righthander Carolyn McCrea (Wharton, NJ/Jefferson) tossed a four-hit shutout in the opener and The College of New Jersey senior righthander Heather Hoffman (Annandale, NJ/Immaculata) countered with a four-hitter of her own in the nightcap as the No. 13 MSU and TCNJ split an NJAC doubleheader at the MSU Softball Stadium on Saturday afternoon.
Senior catcher Megan Tantum (Ewing, NJ/Ewing) belted a three-run home run as Montclair State won the first game, 5-0. Kristin Boyer (Annandale, NJ/North Hunterdon) had three hits and two RBI as the Lions gained the split with a 6-0 victory in Game 2. The split put Montclair State at 24-4 overall, 8-2 in the NJAC while TCNJ is now 12-12, 2-8 in the conference.
In the opener, McCrea (17-2) recorded her sixth shutout of the season as she struck out five and walked two. Julianne Lajiness (Monroe Township, NJ/Notre Dame) took the loss. Lajiness allowed five runs (four earned) and seven hits, striking out six and walking one.
The Red Hawks got the only run they would need in the first as sophomore shortstop Jennifer Jimenez (Linden, NJ/Linden) belted a two-out solo homer, her eighth of the season and 25th of her career. MSU added another run in the second as Tantum was hit by a pitch with two outs and the bases loaded to force home the third run. Tantum then accounted for the final three Montclair runs with one swing of the bat as she cracked her fourth home run, a three-run shot, as MSU led 5-0.
Jackie Ferranti (Bergenfield, NJ/Bergenfield) had two hits for Montclair State while Jess Kohut (Hillsdale, NJ/Pascack Valley) went 2-for-3 for TCNJ.
Hoffman just about duplicated McCrea’s performance in the second game as she allowed just three singles and a double in picking up her first win of the year. Hoffman (1-4) struck out five and walked four. McCrea (17-3) suffered the loss allowing four runs and eight hits in three innings.
The Lions broke open a scoreless game in the third inning with four runs. Ellen Seavers (Ridgewood, NJ/Ridgewood) led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice. Kohut drew a walk and Tara Harrigan (Hamilton, NJ/Steinert) singled to load the bases before Lauren Musacchia (Westfield, NJ/Westfield) singled to score the first run. Boyer would follow with a two run double and Jen Hughes (Huntington Station, NY/Walt Whitman) capped the scoring with an RBI single as the Lions led 4-0.
TCNJ would tack on single runs in its final two at bats as Seavers doubled home the run in the fifth and Harrigan scored on a fielder’s choice the next inning.
Harrigan finished 3-for-3 while Seavers was 3-for-4 as the Lions recorded 12 hits in the game.
Both teams are scheduled to return to action on Tuesday, April 17. Montclair State will be in Jersey City to face the Gothic Knights of New Jersey City University while the Lions return home to Ewing to face Rowan University. Both doubleheaders are scheduled for 3:00 pm
