CAMDEN, N.J. (April 30, 2022) – The Montclair State University baseball team came to Camden to finish off the regular season still hoping for a shot at the top seed in the New Jersey Athletic Conference playoffs and, while the Red Hawks did all they needed to do against Rutgers University-Camden, they couldn't control what happened elsewhere.
 
As it was, the Red Hawks earned the second seed in the NJAC playoffs by sweeping past Rutgers-Camden by scores of 13-7 and 8-4 to close the regular season at 30-9 overall and 15-3 in the NJAC. They finished one game behind Rowan (16-2 in the NJAC) for the top seed after Rowan swept Kean University in Glassboro Saturday.
 
Rutgers-Camden, meanwhile, finished with a 17-23 record overall and a 4-14 mark in the NJAC.
 
The Scarlet Raptors celebrated Senior Day between the two games as they honored departing members Stephen Brady, Nick Listro, Ethan Pritchett and Garrett Warner.    Senior Day photo gallery
   
The Red Hawks scored seven runs in the fourth inning to take the lead for good after the Scarlet Raptors had overcome a 3-0 deficit to grab a 5-3 lead. Montclair State's big inning featured nine hits, including a two-run double by catcher Anthony Guarino, who went 3-for-5 with two runs and three RBIs in the contest.
 
Montclair State scored two runs in the top of the first inning, sparked by a leadoff single from third baseman Joe Norton. Norton led the Red Hawks' 23-hit attack with a 4-for-6 game, scoring two runs.
 
The Red Hawks added a run in the second inning on an RBI single by first baseman Peter Cosentino, who finished the game going 3-for-6 with two runs and one RBI. Rutgers-Camden bounced back with a four-run bottom of the second inning to take the lead, sparked by a one-out single from junior catcher Jake Guglielmi. Left fielder Warner followed with a single, part of his fine game in which he went 3-for-5 with one run to lead the Scarlet Raptors' 13-hit attack. Junior shortstop Danny Vazquez stroked an RBI single, freshman right fielder Francisco Andino had a two-run single and freshman second baseman Frankie Romond singled home the final run of the inning.
 
The Raptors added another run in the third when junior first baseman Jack Murphy singled, was sacrificed to second by Guglielmi, went to third on a single by Warner and scored on a fielder's choice by Vazquez.
 
After Montclair State exploded for its seven-run inning to grab a 10-5 lead, Rutgers-Camden bounced back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth. Romond was hit by a pitch and, following an error, freshman third baseman Andrew Brown singled to load the bases. Murphy hit a sacrifice fly and Guglielmi had an RBI single.
 
The score remained 10-7 until the Red Hawks tacked on three runs over the last two innings.
 
In addition to big games by Norton, Cosentino and Guarino, left fielder Andrew Ollwerther and second baseman Miles Feaster added three hits apiece for Montclair State.
 
Warner's three hits led the Scarlet Raptors, while Brown and Guglielmi had two hits apiece.
 
Senior Nicholas Sefick (5-0), the third of four Montclair State pitchers, earned the win with 4.1 innings of four-hit shutout ball. He struck out two. Rutgers-Camden starter Chase Cooper (1-2) took the loss, working 3.1 innings and allowing 15 hits and nine earned runs. 
   
The second game followed a similar script as the opener as Montclair State built a 2-0 early lead on solo home runs by Cosentino in the first inning and Jorden Jurkiewicz in the third inning. Rutgers-Camden scored three times in the bottom of the third inning to grab the lead. The Raptors scored their first run on an error and added two more on a single by Guglielmi.
 
The Red Hawks immediately tied the game in the fourth and then broke it open with two runs in the sixth and three in the seventh.
 
Guarino and center fielder Michael Murphy had two hits apiece for the Red Hawks, with Murphy scoring three runs. For the Scarlet Raptors, Warner and first baseman R.J. McGettigan had two hits apiece.
 
Southpaw starter Brian Reiss (3-2) earned the win, working 7.1 innings and allowing nine hits and four runs (only one earned). He walked one and struck out five.
 
Brady (0-3) took the loss in relief, working 1.1 innings and allowing one hit, two walks and two runs (one earned). He struck out one.