MYRTLE BEACH, S.C., March 16, 2018 – On the team's second day at the Ripken Experience down in Myrtle Beach, the Monroe College baseball team dropped a pair of contests at Griffith Field. Despite late rallies in both games, the Mustangs fell to Chesapeake College, 11-7, and then Delaware Technical Community College, 7-6. Monroe drops to 6-4 on the season with the losses.
 
Game 1: Chesapeake 11, Monroe 7
The Mustangs fell into a big hole early in Friday's opener, as Chesapeake took a 9-0 lead in the third inning. They made a strong effort to come back, starting with a rally in the bottom of the fourth. With two runners on, Shadrach Meulens ripped a two-RBI double to left, cutting the deficit to seven. Later, with the bases loaded, Gustavo Gonzalez hit a two-RBI single to make it a 9-4 game.
 
Meulens opened the sixth with a double, and later moved to third when Juan Torres singled to right. Marcos Hernandez then grounded out to third, allowing Meulens to score, but an error by the first baseman also allowed Torres to score and make it a 9-6 game. Gonzalez reached on an error and moved to second on the play, and then Edwin Feliciano Jr. brought him in on a single to left, leaving the Mustangs down by two after six.
 
Chesapeake managed to bring another two runs across in the top of the seventh, and the Mustangs were unable to string together a rally in their final at bat, giving Chesapeake the four-run win.
 
Chesapeake's Michael YaSenka got the win despite allowing six earned runs in six frames. Michael Crispino shouldered the loss for Monroe to fall to 0-1.
 
Meulens followed up a solid day on Thursday with another strong game to open the day on Friday. He hit 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a pair of RBIs. Torres hit 1-for-3 with two runs scored, while Gonzalez knocked in two runs and scored another after going 1-for-3.
 
Game 2: Delaware Tech 7, Monroe 6
The Mustangs once again fell behind early in Game 2, as Delaware Tech took a 6-0 lead after three innings. They began to chip away in the top of the fifth after Ryan Hartigan doubled in Javier Ortiz from second to make it a 6-1 game. Troy Davern then singled him in to cut the deficit to four.
 
Joel Paulino singled to center to lead off the sixth, and later moved to second on a passed ball. After Hartigan drew a walk, Joseph Encarnacion doubled to right, plating Paulino to get Monroe within three. Davern then ripped a two-RBI double to center, scoring Hartigan and Encarnacion to draw within a run.
 
The first two Mustang batters of the seventh struck out, leaving Monroe an out away from defeat. Kevin Garcia then singled up the middle, and Paulino drew a walk to keep the inning going. Meulens came in to pinch hit and also drew a walk to load the bases. Hartigan then picked up one more walk for the Mustangs, bringing the tying run home to make it a 6-6 game heading into the bottom of the seventh.
 
On the first pitch of the seventh, Delaware Tech's Kyle Lux hit a home run over the right field fence, giving Delaware Tech the walkoff win.
 
Chris Roosevelt got the win in relief for Delaware Tech to improve to 3-1 on the season. Jason Alvarez shouldered the loss for Monroe to fall to 0-1.
 
Davern hit 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and three RBIs to fuel the Mustangs' comeback in game two. Hartigan hit 1-for-3 with two RBIs, two runs and a double. Paulino batted 2-for-3 with a run scored. Encarnacion batted 1-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back on Saturday, March 17, when they play two against Jefferson Community College and John Wood Community College. Game 1 is set to begin at 9 a.m., followed by a 1 p.m. first pitch against John Wood.
 
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).