EWING, N.J. – Senior starting pitcher Tim Schumacher took a tough-luck loss in TCNJ's 9-0 defeat against Montclair State on Thursday at sunny George Ackerman Park. While the final margin of defeat looks bloated after MSU scored seven runs in its final two at-bats, Schumacher exited the game with the Lions trailing, 2-0, in the top of the eighth inning.

In his seven-plus innings of work, Schumacher allowed just one hit while walking four. That hit, a first-inning two-run home run, marked the only offensive output for either team until after Schumacher's departure. He left after walking the leadoff hitter in the top of the eighth, a run that would later score and be charged to Schumacher's final line of three runs allowed with two earned.

Montclair State (9-3, 1-2) scored its eighth-inning runs without the benefit of a hit, and the Red Hawks didn't get their second hit of the game until their five-run ninth inning.

The first-inning home run staked Montclair State to the 2-0 lead, but TCNJ looked to answer back in the home half. After two outs, Joe Oczkowski and Grant Sible each singled, but a force out at second base on a Chris Reeder grounder ended the threat.

From the second through the sixth inning, Schumacher kept TCNJ in the game by facing just one hitter above the minimum. The Lions offense again threatened in the bottom of the third, again after two outs. Jack Haynes singled and Oczkowski was hit by a pitch to put two men on, but Sible flied out to center for the third out.

With the score still 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth, Oczkowski led off with a single and stole second, but he was stranded at third before he could cross with the first TCNJ run. He paced the TCNJ offense with a pair of hits and a hit batsman.

Montclair starter Ben Levine dueled Schumacher with 6.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing five hits while walking just one.

TCNJ and Montclair State finish the home-and-home series on Friday at 3:30 p.m. TCNJ returns home Saturday for a doubleheader against Ramapo at 11:30 a.m.