Keyser, W.V. – The Monroe College baseball team swept a doubleheader with Potomac State College of West Virginia on Saturday, defeating them 10-6 in the opener and 5-2 in the second game. The Mustangs have now won three straight contests and are 26-13 for the season.
 
John Russo has been hitting exceptionally well lately, and game one was no exception as the backstop went 4-4 at the plate with a pair of doubles and three RBI.
 
Monroe took a 3-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a pair of hits and a Potomac State error. Ramger Iglesias started strong with a base hit through the right side. Alex De La Cruz walked, giving the Mustangs runners on first and second. After Endy Villalona reached on an error to load the bases, Isaiah Torres got Monroe on the board with an RBI groundout. Russo followed with the first of his doubles and De La Cruz and Villalona came in to score.
 
Potomac State fought back in the second inning to score five times and grab a 5-3 advantage.  
Trailing 5-3 in the third, Monroe answered with a run. Villalona reached on an error. Later, Russo singled to put runners on the corners. From there, the Mustangs executed a double-steal as Russo grabbed second and Villalona swiped home. The score was 5-4, and Monroe regained the lead in their very next at-bat.
 
Michael Ramirez opened the fourth with a single to third. Three batters later, De La Cruz hit a homerun over the wall, putting the Mustangs up 6-5. It was just the second homer of the season for the second baseman.
 
Both teams scored once in their half of the fifth with Monroe's run coming courtesy of a Torres homer. After hitting three home runs in a game on Friday, the Mustangs nearly equaled the feat on Saturday as De La Cruz and Torres both connected on long balls.
 
Ahead 7-6, the Mustangs clinched the game with three insurance runs in the seventh, which came on three doubles and a single. An RBI each from Russo and Ronald Jackson and a Ramirez single that brought home Josue Perez with the other score.
 
Oliver Mailloux picked up the win in relief; he is now 3-2 on the season. The appearance was Mailloux's 12^th for the year, tops on the team and one ahead of Edward Nunez. Jose Sierra earned his first save of the season.
 
Game two went to Monroe, 5-2. They scored all their runs in the third inning after falling behind 1-0 in the first.  Francis Ortiz picked up his first win of the year. He gave up the two runs over five innings of work. Vincent Ruel pitched a scoreless inning and Nunez finished the game to earn his team-leading third save of the year.
 
In the third, Jackson led off with a double to left. He came in to score on a smash from Iglesias that was misplayed for an error, tying the game at 1-1. Villalona followed and also reached on a miscue, allowing Iglesias to score and putting Monroe ahead 2-1. After Villalona swiped second, the shortstop came in on an RBI single from Torres, making the score 3-1. Russo followed with a run-scoring double that plated Torres. Finally, the fifth run came on an infield hit from Ramirez that brought in Russo.  Russo and Jackson led the Mustangs with two hits apiece. The team had eight hits in all.
 
The Monroe College baseball team returns to the field on Sunday, April 24, when they face Hagerstown Community College in an away doubleheader. The first pitch is slated for noon.