MADISON, N.J. – Senior Bailey Comeau recorded her 200th career strikeout in the opener, and freshman Haley Meierhofer smacked a walk-off single in the nightcap as the Drew University softball team split a non-conference doubleheader with Montclair State University in its home opener Wednesday afternoon.
 
The Red Hawks won the opener 8-0 in five innings before the Rangers captured a 6-5 decision in the nightcap.
 
Senior Molly O'Brien celebrated her birthday in style for Drew, going 5-for-6 with three runs, three stolen bases, and a home run. She also scored the game-winning run in the second game.
 
Meierhofer added a 3-for-6 day at the plate for the Rangers (11-3) while sophomore Teagan Bradley earned the win in the circle in Game Two, tossing a complete-game while scattering 10 hits.
 
In the opener, Montclair State (10-2) bolted out to a 6-0 lead over the first two innings versus Ranger starter Breanna Seals. It proved to be more than enough run support for starting pitcher Ali Cavallaro, who tossed a six-hit shutout.
 
Comeau entered the game in the third and reached her milestone with her second strikeout of the inning. She became just the sixth pitcher in team history to achieve the feat and the first since Laura D'Ornellas C'15 in 2015.
 
The Red Hawks pushed across an unearned run in the fourth, then tacked on another run in the fifth.
 
Comeau struck out five over three innings of work.
 
O'Brien went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases while Meirhofer added a pair of hits.
 
In the second game, Montclair State scored once in the first but the Rangers found their offense in the bottom of the frame, scoring three times on two hits, two walks, and a hit batter. O'Brien walked before Meierhofer bunted her way on. Junior Madi Baldwin drew a walk to lead the bases before sophomore Mackenzie Pisani was hit with a pitch to bring home Drew's first run. Bradley followed up with a two-run single up the middle to put the Rangers up 3-1.
 
Montclair State scored in the second to trim the deficit to one, but O'Brien answered in the bottom half with a majestic solo homer down the leftfield line to make it 4-2.
 
The Rangers added a run in the fourth, getting infield singles from Pisani and Bradley before freshman Ashlyn Cassetty walked to load the bases. O'Brien pushed home Drew's fifth run with an RBI-groundout.
 
Montclair State rallied to make it a one-run game once with two runs on four hits in the fifth. The Red Hawks then tied it in the seventh on a two-out double from Stephanie Seretis.
 
O'Brien got things started in the bottom half with her third bunt single of the game. After stealing second, Meierhofer drove a pitch up the middle to bring home O'Brien and the Rangers celebrated their third walk-off victory of the season. Meierhofer also singled home the game-winning run in the team's season-opening 9-8 win over Rockford in Florida.
 
O'Brien, Meierhofer, and Bradley each finished with a pair of hits in the nightcap.
 
Bradley (3-2) went the distance in the circle for the third time this season and struck out five without walking a batter.
 
Seretis (2-1) was handed the loss in relief despite allowing just one run on two hits while striking out three over three innings.
 
The Rangers are back in action on Saturday, when they host the University of Scranton at 1 p.m. in their Landmark Conference opener.