MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., March 12, 2018 – In its second day down at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C., the Monroe College softball team split a pair of games, falling to John Wood Community College, 8-6, but bouncing back to defeat Camden County College, 13-5. The Mustangs move to 3-5 on the season with Monday's split.
 
Game 1: John Wood 8, Monroe 6
The Mustangs did most of their Game-1 damage in the bottom of the first on Monday. Breanna Kuhner kicked things off with a leadoff single, followed by Brooke Boechler reaching on a dropped fly ball. Chantel Winstead then with a single to center, bringing Kuhner around to score to make it a 1-0 game. With one away, Selena Aguirre singled to center, loading the bases for the Mustangs. Now with two down in the inning, Brianna Casiano hit an RBI single to right, followed by a two-RBI triple to right from Abigail Cancilla to leave the Mustangs up, 5-0.
 
Cancilla led off the bottom of the fourth with a single to left, and was then sacrificed over to second by Kortney Semper. Kuhner then reached first on a dropped third strike, also allowing Cancilla to move to third. Boechler came through with an RBI single to left to give Monroe a 6-0 advantage after four.
 
The Blazers made their comeback in the top of the fifth frame. The first three batters of the inning reached base to load the bases, and then Madison Orr knocked in a run on an error to get John Wood on the board. Torre Koontz followed with a fielder's choice that brought in a run on another error, and Hanna Spiekermeier added an RBI single to make it a 6-3 game before an out was recorded. McKenzie Hall then singled to center, bringing in Orr from third, but Koontz was thrown out at the plate by Kimberly Zapata for the first out of the inning. Kaylee Young then knocked in another run with a singled to make it a 6-5 game.
 
The Blazers were able to keep their momentum going in the top of the sixth. They put two runners on with one away before an error brought Amber Garner in to score and tie the game. Hall later gave the Blazers the lead with an RBI single, followed by another for Young to make it 8-6.
 
Hall picked up the win for the Blazers after tossing seven innings and allowing six runs. Brooke Kane took the loss in relief, falling to 0-3 on the season despite allowing no earned runs in three innings of work.
 
Cancilla had a big game for the Mustangs at the plate, batting 3-for-3 with a triple, two RBIs and a run scored. Boechler hit 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run, while Aguirre scored a run in a 2-for-4 effort. Brianna Casiano batted 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run.
 
John Wood was led by Spiekermeier, who went 1-for-3 with an RBI and two runs scored. Garner hit 3-for-4 with two runs. Young went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBIs.
 
Game 2: Monroe 13, Camden County 5
The Mustangs got off to another quick start in Game 2. After a leadoff single by Kuhner, Boechler roped a two-run inside-the-park home run for an early 2-0 advantage.
 
Monroe got back-to-back singles by Zapata and Kane to open the second. Later, Brianna Martinez knocked in Zapata with an RBI single, pushing Monroe's lead to three runs.
 
In the bottom of the second, a couple defensive miscues cost the Mustangs. Camden County was able to bring four runs across in the inning without recording a hit.
 
The Mustangs quickly turned the ship around in the third. Winstead led off with a single and followed that up by stealing second. With two down, Zapata ripped an RBI single, scoring Winstead to tie the game at 4-4.
 
The Cougars took the lead right back in the home half of the third. With runners on second and third and two down, Brianna Kasprzak hit an RBI single, scoring Danielle Cutrera to put the Cougars up, 5-4.
 
The Mustangs had two on with two outs when Winstead hit an RBI single, scoring Martinez in the top of the fourth to tie the game up once again.
 
Monroe opened up the sixth with back-to-back triples by Martinez and Kuhner to take a 6-5 lead. Boechler then singled in Kuhner to push the lead to two. Winstead followed with a single, and then a double by Veronica Casanova brought both runners in to score and make it a 9-5 ballgame. The Mustangs loaded the bases later in the inning, setting up Casiano for an RBI single, scoring Casanova to give Monroe a 10-5 advantage after six.
 
The Mustangs added to their lead in the top of the seventh after quickly putting two runners in scoring position without an out. Casanova came through with another two-RBI double, and then scored on an error by the center fielder to make it a 13-5 game.
 
Casiano got the win in relief to improve to 2-1 on the season. She tossed four innings without allowing a run. Angel Benjamin took the loss for Camden County after allowing 10 runs in five frames.
 
Casanova drove in four runs and scored two more after going 2-for-5 with a pair of doubles in the win. Winstead hit 4-for-5 with three runs and an RBI, while also stealing two bases. Boechler batted 3-for-4 with three RBIs, three runs and a home run. Kuhner finished 2-for-5 with two runs, an RBI and a triple. Martinez went 2-for-3 with a triple, two runs scored and an RBI. Zapata hit 3-for-4, knocking in a run and scoring another.
 
The Cougars were led by Cutrera, who finished 2-for-4 with a run scored. Kasprzak batted 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI.
 
Monroe gets back to work on Tuesday, March 13, when they take on USC Sumter and Coastal Carolina University club softball in another doubleheader at the Ripken Experience. The back-to-back games are set for 3 p.m. and 5 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's rugby, and the newly added club women's rugby team, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has six teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level as of the fall of 2017.
 
For more information about the Monroe Mustangs, please visit us at www.MonroeCollegeMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe College Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).