MONTCLAIR, N.J.- The TCNJ baseball team punched their ticket to the NJAC tournament with a sweep of Montclair St. on Saturday by scores of 13-10 and 14-3. The Lions (21-15, 9-9) won their last three conference games of the season to jump past the Red Hawks (26-13, 9-9) for the sixth and final playoff spot.
 
Game 1: TCNJ 13, Montclair St. 10 (12 Inn.)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Montclair St. jumped out to a big lead after the first three innings, holding the Lions scoreless and scoring seven runs on eight hits to back TCNJ up against the wall.
• The Lions began their comeback in the fourth, scoring a run on a Michael Schumacher single center to bring in Justin Marcario.
• TCNJ continued to climb back in the sixth scoring two runs after back-to-back fielder's choices from Schumacher and Jack O'Donnell to score Chris Reeder and Andrew Fernandez.
• In the bottom of the fifth, SP Ben Amon claimed the all-time strikeout throne with his fourth strikeout of the game. This was a part of a big jam that Amon got out of with a runner on third base and no outs.
• In the top of the sixth, the Lions found the equalizer with an explosive four-run inning to tie the game at seven apiece.
  • After a leadoff single from Andrew Woodward, Fernandez deposited his fourth homer of the season over the fence in center field to cut the Red Hawk lead to two.
  • Three batters later with two on, Schumacher drove in two more Lions in Goodall and O'Donnell with a single to left to even the score.
• In the home half of the sixth, the Red Hawks answered right back with three more runs on one hit and an error in the field to pull ahead 10-7 heading into the seventh.
• TCNJ refusing to quit scored two more runs in the top of the seventh on one hit and a couple of walks to come back within a run.
  • After a leadoff walk, Reeder doubled off the wall in right-center to bring in Mike LaGravenis.
  • After another walk and a wild pitch, Reeder stole home on another wild pitch to tally the ninth run of the game for the Lions.
• Freshman Evan Frank came on for the Lions in the seventh and eighth and threw up consecutive zeros with one hit allowed, one walk and a strikeout to keep the Lions within a run of Montclair St.
• Although the Lions went scoreless in the top of the ninth, reliever Joe Ferreri shut down the Red Hawks in the ninth, retiring them in order to send the game to extra innings.  
• After a scoreless tenth and 11^th inning, the Lions broke out for three runs on two hits and two errors in the field to pull ahead 13-10. The runs came across on two sacrifice flies and an RBI single from Andrew Woodward.
•  Ferreri continued his dominant relief in the home half, sealing the game-one win for the Lions.

 
STANDOUT LIONS:

• 3B Andrew Fernandez: 3-for-6, 3RBI, 3R, 1HR, 1BB
• CF Michael Schumacher: 2-for-6, 4RBI, 1R, 1BB
• RP Joe Ferreri: W, 4.0 IP, 0R, 1H, 5K, 2BB
• RP Evan Frank: 2.0 IP, 0R, 1H, 1BB, 1K
• SP Ben Amon: 5.2 IP, 10R, 8ER, 4BB, 4K (All-Time Strikeout Leader in TCNJ History)

 
GAME 2: TCNJ 14, Montclair St. 3
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:

• TCNJ built off the momentum from game one and took it directly into game two. Following a scoreless first inning, the Lions rallied into a seven-run inning on five hits to give the Red Hawks a taste of their own medicine from game one.
  • A Schumacher single to right center field brought in Jack O'Donnell and Ryan Goodall for the first two runs of the ballgame.
  • Following two walks, LaGravenis sent a 2RBI single to center, scoring Haynes and Schumacher.
  • Back-to-back singles from Reeder and Justin Marcario drove in Fernandez, Woodward and LaGravenis to put TCNJ up 7-0.
• In the fourth, Andrew Fernandez sent his second two-run homer of the day soaring over the left field fence to give TCNJ a nine-run advantage.
• The Red Hawks scored their first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth on a fielder's choice .
• TCNJ showed no sign of letting up in the fifth as they score another two runs on four hits, moving their lead out to 10.
  • A Schumacher double to right scored O'Donnell right before Haynes shot another double to right to bring Schumacher home.
• With two on and none out in the sixth, O'Donnell picked up another two RBIs for himself with a double to left center, sending in Goodall and Marcario tp put the Lions up 12. A Haynes grounder to second scored O'Donnell and brought the tally to 14-1 in favor of the Lions.
• Montclair St. scattered a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh on three hits and an error to move back within 11.
• SP Jackson Malouf held the Red Hawks scoreless in the eighth and ninth as he closed out the complete game effort to send the Lions to the playoffs. He finished the day with three runs, two of them being earned on six hits, three walks and 10 strikeouts.

 
STANDOUT LIONS:

• SP Jackson Malouf (5-1): 9.0 IP, 3ER, 2R, 6H, 10K, 3BB
• RF Jack O'Donnell: 3-for-5, 2RBI, 3R
• CF Michael Schumacher: 2-for-4, 3RBI, 2R, 1BB
• 3B Andrew Fernandez: 1-for-4, 2RBI, 2R, 1HR, 1BB

 
UP NEXT:

• The TCNJ baseball team will head to first-seeded Stockton on Tuesday as the sixth seed in the NJAC tournament for the opening round of the playoffs with start time to be announced.