Jenna Meluso. Amber Reed. Ali Cavallaro. Alyssa Borozan. These four women have contributed greatly to the softball program here at Montclair State University, and on April 27, all of them were honored before the final doubleheader of their careers versus the Stockton Ospreys.
Unfortunately, the softball team will not make the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) playoffs, but that does not mean the Red Hawks still have some fight left in them to close off the 2023 campaign.
Jenna Meluso gets ready for a ball to be hit into play. Trevor Giesberg | The Montclarion
In the first game, neither team scored for more than half of the game, or four innings to be exact. Then Stockton blew the doors open with four runs in the fifth inning. In the sixth, multiple singles from graduate student infielder Reed and junior pitcher Stephanie Seretis, a walk and a sacrifice fly helped the Red Hawks cut their lead down to two.
Alyssa Borozan sprints onto the first base bag as a Stockton fielder catches the ball. Trevor Giesberg | The Montclarion
But a hitless last inning would make Montclair State lose the first game. The second game, however, was a different story. Sophomore utility player Mariah Carrasco would single up the middle to score the first run of game two in the second inning. Graduate student utility player Borozan tried for an inside-the-park home run that would have won them the game in regulation, but she was thrown out at home.
The Red Hawks huddle up to talk during the game. Trevor Giesberg | The Montclarion
Stockton would tie the game in the seventh, and the last game of the season would go to extra innings. It would eventually go to nine innings, where freshman pitcher and outfielder Liz Mullen would hit the biggest sacrifice fly of her career, bringing home the winning run and ending the 2023 season on a good note.
The four seniors (from left to right) Meluso, Reed, Cavallaro and Borozan stand for photos. Trevor Giesberg | The Montclarion
