New Rochelle, N.Y. – The Monroe College baseball team won its second-straight Region XV Tournament on Sunday with an 8-6 victory over ASA College at City Park in New Rochelle. The Mustangs now advance to the District Championship at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland, running from May 20-22.
 
The Mustangs, who received votes in the latest NJCAA Division I poll, fell behind 2-0 early in the game. ASA got a pair of runs in the first inning on a triple and a suicide squeeze off of Monroe starter Andres Fernandez. Fernandez shut down the Avengers the rest of the way, allowing only one other unearned run in 6.1 innings pitched.
 
Monroe took the lead for good in the bottom of the second, where they exploded for six runs. The bases were loaded after John Russo and Michael Ramirez reached on errors and Ramger Iglesias walked. Alex De La Cruz forced in Russo with a walk, putting the Mustangs on the board. Isaiah Torres then cleared the bases with a triple that scored Ramirez, Iglesias and De La Cruz. Endy Villalona followed with a two-run homer, making the score 6-2.
 
The score stayed at 6-2 until the seventh, when ASA put another run on the board. In the bottom of the inning, Monroe scored two more times. Torres and Villalona reached on walks. They moved around on outs and scored on a wild pitch and a balk, respectively. The Mustangs led 8-3.
 
ASA fought back, scoring three more times in the eighth to pull within 8-6. Oliver Mailloux retired the Avengers in order in the ninth to seal the win and pick up the save. The Mustangs are now the Region XV Champions.
 
Torres had a game-high three RBI, while Villalona drove in a pair. De La Cruz led the team with two hits. Fernandez earned the win, improving to 6-3 on the year, and Mailloux recorded his third save.
 
The Monroe team now waits for the District Championship's seeding to determine their next opponent.