NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 24, 2018 – Finally playing on its home turf for the first time in the 2018 campaign, the Monroe College baseball team picked up a pair of one-run victories over Rockland Community College Saturday afternoon at Dick Caswell Baseball Field. The Mustangs used stellar pitching to earn a 2-1 win in the opener, and closed the day with a thrilling 9-8 conquest in the finale. Monroe improves to 10-5 overall with the pair of wins, while Rockland falls to 5-5.
 
Game 1: Monroe 2, Rockland 1
Things got off to a rough start for the Mustangs with a tough first inning. A hit-by-pitch and walk put two runners on with one away, and a balk put both runners in scoring position. Chris Dodrill then singled in John Daly, giving Rockland the quick 1-0 lead.
 
The Mustangs finally got things going in the bottom of the fifth. Marquis Orozco took advantage of an error that put him on second base to lead off the inning. He then moved to third on a passed ball, and scored shortly after on a sacrifice fly by Iasid Bernal, tying the game at a run apiece. Lenyn Napoleon then smacked a ground-rule double to left-center, and was knocked in when Troy Davern hit a single to center, giving Monroe a 2-1 lead that proved to be the final score.
 
Francisco Justo improved to 2-0 on the season after earning the victory with six strong innings on the hill. He allowed just one run on four hits with eight strikeouts. Edwin Feliciano Jr. earned his second save with a scoreless seventh inning. Dodrill took the loss for Rockland after allowing two unearned runs on five hits with 10 strikeouts.
 
Davern went 2-for-2 with the game-winning RBI for the Mustangs in Game 1. Napoleon hit 2-for-3 with a double that led to him scoring the winning run. Bernal hit 1-for-2 with an RBI.
 
Game 2: Monroe 9, Rockland 8
The Mustangs rode the momentum of their Game-1 victory to get off to a hot start in Saturday's nightcap. After a 1-2-3 top of the first, the Mustangs immediately put two runners on with a pair of walks to start the home half of the inning. Bernal then ripped a single through the left side, scoring Orozco to take a 1-0 lead. The lead later became 3-0 when Davern stroked a two-RBI single up the middle. He was then knocked in from second on a single by Kevin Garcia that made it a 4-0 game. With two outs, Juan Torres doubled to right-center, plating Garcia to go up, 5-0. Joseph Encarnacion capped off the inning with an RBI single through the right side, bringing in Torres to leave Monroe up 6-0 after one.
 
Rockland began a slow comeback in the top of the second. A ground-rule double by William Rotella with one away started the rally, which was followed by a pair of walks. Stephen Greeley then reached on a dropped line drive in right, bringing in two runs to make it a 6-2 game.
 
John Greeley hit a one-out double in the third, and then Dodrill drew a walk. Rotella reached on a fielder's choice, but all runners were safe on the play, loading the bases for the Hawks. A fielder's choice then brought in a run for the Hawks, leaving them down by three after the top of the third.
 
Abner Vincenty was hit by a pitch, and then Torres hit a single to center and advanced on a throw, putting runners on second and third with one away in the home half of the third. Encarnacion then hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Vincenty to put the Mustangs back up by four.
 
The first two batters of the fifth struck out for the Hawks, but the inning was kept alive when Alex Perich walked. Stephen Greeley was then hit by a pitch, and Chris Perich drew a walk to load the bases. Patrick Bateman was then hit by a pitch, bringing in Alex Perich to make it a 7-4 game in the fifth.
 
The Hawks made their big push in the top of the sixth. An error put John Greeley on base, and another put Dodrill on and allowed Greeley to come all the way around to score to get the Hawks within two. Later, Alex Perich hit a two-RBI double, tying the game up at 7-7. With two down, another error on Chris Perich's at bat brought in Alex Perich, putting the Hawks on top, 8-7.
 
A resilient Mustang team did not let a few miscues get them down on Saturday. With two outs and Bernal on second, Davern roped a triple to deep right-center, bringing him in to score and tie the game at 8-8. Garcia then slammed a double to left, plating Davern to put the Mustangs up, 9-8, and leave them three outs away from victory. Moises Robles came on in the seventh, and despite allowing a pair of baserunners on a hit-by-pitch and a walk, he managed to retire the side without any damage to close out the win.
 
Luis Grullart got the victory in relief for Monroe to improve to 1-0 on the season. Robles earned his first save of the year by keeping the Hawks off the board in the seventh. Rockland reliever Vincent Criscuolo took the loss after giving up three runs in 4.2 frames. Mustang starter Richard Moesker tossed four innings, striking out nine batters while allowing just three hits and one earned run.
 
Davern hit 2-for-3 with a triple, three RBIs and two runs in the Game-2 victory. Bernal batted 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI. Garcia hit 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs, including what proved to be the game-winning RBI double. Torres went 2-for-2 with a double, stolen base, RBI and a run. Encarnacion knocked in two runs after going 1-for-2.
 
The Mustangs' scheduled doubleheader at UConn-Avery Point on Sunday has been canceled, so Monroe will play next on Tuesday, March 27, when they visit Rowan College at Gloucester County in Sewell, N.J. Tuesday's nine-inning contest is set to begin at 3:30 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).