NEWARK, NJ – Rutgers-Newark sophomore Liane Drastal lost a pitchers' duel in the opener as Montclair State swept a New Jersey Athletic Conference doubleheader on Alumni Field, 1-0 and 10-2.

BOX SCORE & PLAY-BY-PLAY
Montclair State 1, Rutgers-Newark 0
Montclair State 10, Rutgers-Newark 2

IN THE OPENING GAME, Drastal (4-10) scattered seven hits without a walk or strikeout in seven innings against the league-leading Red Hawks (26-1, NJAC 0-8) but MSU sophomore Alex Hill (15-0) was simply overpowering.

Hill struck out 15 without a walk while giving up a pair of doubles to the Scarlet Raiders (9-16, NJAC 0-8).

A 2-out ground-rule double to left centerfield by junior third baseman Monica Liotto in the first inning and a 2-out bloop double to left by freshman shortstop Victoria Sovak were the only Raider hits.

In the fifth inning, junior designated hitter Kelli O'Brien led off with a double to leftfield and was bunted over to third by junior catcher Heather Bergman to set up the game's only run.  Pinch hitter Melany Zeller then delivered a crisp single to right centerfield to plate pinch runner Nicole Iorio from third.

No Red Hawk had more than one hit with sophomore second baseman Katie Muglia's second-inning double the only other extra-base hit against Drastal.

IN THE SECOND GAME, Bergman went three for four with an RBI double in the 5-run third inning as MSU notched a dozen hits to win in six innings. 

Junior Jamie Miller (10-1) got the win by scattering five hits while striking out two and walking just one.  She survived a shaky first inning when the Raiders scored just one run on four hits.

After sophomore third baseman Dana Amato hammered a solo home run to left centerfield in the top of the first, Sovak led off with a double and scored on a single to center by Liotto to tie the score in the bottom of the frame.  Rutgers-Newark loaded the bases with back-to-back singles by sophomore catcher Gabby Spinella and junior first baseman Monica Bagan before Miller coaxed back-to-back pop ups to end the threat.

Bagan, who was the only Raider with two hits, led off the fourth inning with a double and scored after a sacrifice bunt by freshman rightfielder Caroline Lane and a grounder to second base off the bat of sophomore second baseman Tiara Santi.

Junior leftfielder Jamie Paulino had a 2-run double to right centerfield to cap the Red Hawks' 3-run second inning and delivered an RBI double to right center to chase Raider starting pitcher Brianna Alicchio (5-6) during the third inning explosion.

Amato and sophomore first baseman Alisha Cumberton had two hits apiece for MSU which ran its winning streak to 12 games.

Rutgers-Newark hosts the College of Saint Elizabeth in a non-conference doubleheader on Alumni Field on Thursday at 4 p.m.