GLASSBORO, NJ – Zach Grace threw a complete-game shutout in the first game and Jake Reese had seven strong innings in the second as #19 Rowan swept #21 Montclair State (15-8; 2-4) in an NJAC doubleheader by scores of 6-0 and 14-1. Second baseman Tyler Cannon was among those who paced the offense as he went 5-for-7 in the doubleheader, with five runs and four RBI, as Rowan won its fifth straight game on the week to improve to 18-6 and 4-2 in the conference.
Dylan Maria drove in five runs in the two games, while Anthony Schooley was 4-for-9 with four runs scored and Phil Sedalis was 4-for-9, scoring one run and driving in two.
Game 1
Grace (4-0) pitched a gem, striking out a career-high 12, and limiting the Red Hawks to four hits in the first complete game of the season. The lefthander held Montclair State without a hit until the fourth inning.
Cannon scored three runs and went 2-for-3 at the plate, with Sedalis (2RBI), Schooley and Maria (2RBI) each picking up two hits.
Pat Defeciani got the Profs' offense going in the first with an RBI single to bring home Cannon who led off the game with a walk and stole second.
The Profs added another in the fifth when Cannon again led off by getting on base with a single, advanced on an error with a pickoff attempt, and scored on a single by Sedalis. Rowan went up 3-0 in the eighth after Schooley singled, advanced to third on a single by Maria and scored from third when Defeciani laid down a bunt single.
Rowan scored three runs in the eighth as Mason Dorsey and Sedalis each doubled before Maria hit a two-run double that brought home Cannon and Sedalis.
Dylan Taliaferro suffered the loss for Montclair State as he gave up five of the Profs' 10 hits.
Game 2
Reese (1-2) picked up his first win as a Prof as he threw seven shutout innings and struck out six. Maria and Christian Bascunan each pitched an inning in relief.
Jason Morgan was 4-for-5 in the win with two runs and two RBI, while Harcourt went 3-for-5 and scored two runs and Cannon added three more hits, two runs and two RBI to his day.
Maria hit a two-run homer in the first, his eighth of the year, to give Rowan a 2-0 lead. The Profs upped it to 4-0 in the third when Defeciani drove in a pair with a single, and Maria followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Dorsey.
Cannon doubled in the Profs' sixth run in the fourth, scoring Karson Harcourt, and then Sedalis singled to allow Cannon to score.
Two more runs came in in the fifth as Jason Morgan doubled down the left field line to score Chris Curcio, who had walked. Cannon hit his second double of the game to help Morgan cross the plate, giving the Profs a 9-0 lead.
Rowan exploded for five runs in the sixth inning when Schooley led off with a double and scored on Curcio's single and Morgan doubled in a run and scored on a two-base hit by Harcourt. Walks were issued to Dorsey and Cannon before Sedalis hit a two-run single that scored Harcourt for Rowan's final run of the day.
The Red Hawks got their only run of the day in the eighth as Jack Zabarsky singled to score Ryan McKenna.
Rowan totaled 18 hits in the win and Montclair State's Patrick Cuccurullo was saddled with the loss.
The Profs take a break from conference play on Tuesday when they head to Penn State Harrisburg. Rowan will visit TCNJ for a single game on Thursday and the teams will play in Glassboro on Friday.