Montclair, NJ – Junior righthander Nick Thorgersen (Middletown, NJ / Monsignor Farrell) tossed a four-hit shutout as Ramapo College took the first game of its home-and-home set with Montclair State blanking the Red Hawks 9-0 at Yogi Berra Stadium on Thursday afternoon. The two teams meet again at Jeff Maund Field in Mahwah, NJ on Friday, April 11 at 3:30 pm.

Sophomore second baseman Joe Venturino (Barnegat Light, NJ / Monsignor Farrell) had two hits and drove in three runs for the Roadrunners (15-7-1, 3-3-1 NJAC), who won their third straight and for the fourth time in their last five games.

Senior third baseman Connor Abreu (Piscataway, NJ, Piscataway) had two hits for Montclair State (8-13, 3-4 NJAC), which was shut out for the second straight game. It's the first time since 1983 that MSU has suffered back-to-back shutouts and the fifth time in its history.

Thorgersen struck out three as he threw just 84 pitches in improving to 3-0. He retired the first eight hitters before Abreu bunted his way on with a single in the third inning. Thorgersen would get the next seven hitters before Abreu singled with one out. After a pop out, he allowed consecutive hits to Philip Scott (Paulsboro, NJ, Paulsboro) and Lou Martini (Flemington, NJ, North Hunterdon) loading the bases however got a ground out to end what turned out to be Montclair's lone threat of the game.

The ground out was the start of 10 in row retired by Thorgersen to end the game as he also got some great defensive help from Venturino and third baseman Scott Shields (San Luis Obispo, CA / San Luis Obispo).

Ramapo got the only run it would need in the top of the first inning as shortstop Jose Garcia (Trenton, NJ / Trenton Centeal) led off with a single back through the middle. Shields sacrifice Garcia to third and Venturino lined a ball to left field deep enough to bring home Garcia with the game's first run.

The Roadrunners added a run in the second on a double by Scott Peschiani (Harriman, NY / Monroe-Woodbury) and got one more in the third on an RBI single by Venturino for a 3-0 advantage.

After Montclair State's threat in the sixth, Ramapo broke the game open with four runs in the top of the seventh which were aided by three MSU errors in the inning. Peschiani and Ryan Rinksy (North Caldwell, NJ / West Essex) both scored on an error with Venturino picking up an RBI single as the Roadrunners increased their lead to 7-0.
Ian Osterman (Norwood, NJ / Old Tappan) and Chris Werr (Pequannock, NJ / Pequannock) collected RBI singles in the eighth for the final two Ramapo runs.

Garcia finished 3-for-5 and scored three times for the Roadrunners while Werr and Peschiani had two hits apiece.

Sophomore lefthander Michael Macchia (Middletown, NJ, Middletown North) suffered his first loss of the season for Montclair State. Macchia (3-1) allowed seven hits and seven runs in seven innings however just one of the runs was earned. Macchia struck out one and walked one.