SEWELL, N.J., April 20, 2018 – The Monroe College Mustangs softball team split their Friday doubleheader against Rowan College at Gloucester County, taking game one by the score of 8-3, and falling in game two, 16-8, in six innings, to move to 16-13 on the season.
 
Game 1: Monroe 8, Rowan Gloucester 3
Veronica Casanova gave the Mustangs an early lead in the top of the first inning with a two-run double off of Jaclyn Lesher, scoring Brooke Boechler and Chantel Winstead to give Monroe a 2-0 lead. Casanova came around to score later in the inning on a dropped fly ball, and the Mustangs led 3-0 after a half inning of play.
 
Rowan Gloucester threatened in the bottom of the frame, putting two runners on base and scoring one on Miranda Booras' RBI single to cut the Mustangs' lead to 3-1. But Brooke Kane got Giavonna Cerminaro to line into a double play to end the inning, and keep the lead at two.
 
Kane held the Roadrunners scoreless over the next three frames, while the Mustangs added to their lead in the top of the fourth. The Mustangs loaded the bases on two walks and a single, before Boechler's sacrifice fly scored Abigail Cancilla from third to extend the lead to 4-1.
 
Rowan Gloucester came back with three straight hits to open the bottom of the sixth against Kane, cutting the Mustangs' lead to 4-2 before an error cut it to just one. But again, Kane got out of the inning, this time striking out back-to-back batters, to keep Monroe in the lead.
 
The Mustangs came back to score a run in the top of the sixth, again off the bat of Boechler on an RBI double, extending the lead back to two and giving the Mustangs a bit more breathing room. Boechler finished the day 3-for-3 with two doubles, a sacrifice fly, a run scored and two RBI.
 
And after Kane pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth, the Mustangs got a little bit more breathing room, tagging Lesher with three more runs in the top of the seventh to open up a five-run lead.
 
Casanova was hit by a pitch to lead off the seventh, and moved to third on Selena Aguirre's single. A fielder's choice advanced Aguirre to scored, before the Roadrunners walked Kane to load the bases. Cancilla struck out, but Brianna Martinez cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double, extending the Mustangs' lead to 8-3.
 
And while the Roadrunners loaded the bases in the bottom of the frame, Kane got Gabrielle Glocker to ground into a fielder's choice to end the threat, and give the Mustangs' a 8-3 victory.
 
Kane (9-8) earned the win for the Mustangs, while Lesher (10-3) took the loss for the Roadrunners.
 
Game 2: Rowan Gloucester 16, Monroe 8 (6 innings)
The Mustangs went in order in the top of the first, and quickly thereafter, Rowan Gloucester took the lead, as Lesher slugged a three-run homer to left. The Roadrunners added another run in the bottom of the first on Emma Coleman's RBI single, and the Mustangs trailed by four after one.
 
Rowan Gloucester added another in the bottom of the second off Luna Hernandez on Booras' RBI single, before Monroe got their first run of the game in the top of the third.
 
Martinez led off with a single, advanced to second on a groundout and third on Kimberly Zapata's single to right before Boechler brought another runner home, this time on a fielder's choice, to cut the Roadrunner's lead to 5-1. Boechler put together another fine performance in game two, going 1-for-3 with a double and four RBI.
 
But the Roadrunners came right back with seven runs on five hits in the bottom of the frame to extend their lead to 12-1.
 
The Mustangs answered with five in the top of the fourth, two on Cancilla's two-run single, and three on Boechler's bases clearing double, but once again, Rowan Gloucester responded in the bottom of the fourth.
 
The Roadrunners answers with three runs this time in the bottom of the fourth, on an RBI single by Christina Wilgus and a two-run single by Booras, to take a 15-6 lead.
 
Kane and Cancilla each knocked in one more for the Mustangs in the top of the fifth, cutting the deficit to 15-8, but the Roadrunners extended their lead out to eight in the bottom of the fifth on Wilgus' suicide squeeze to pick up a 16-8, run-rule victory.
 
Mackenzie Lafferty (5-7) picked up the win for Rowan Gloucester, while Hernandez (1-2) took the loss for Monroe. Cancilla led the Mustangs at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, while Martinez put together a 2-for-3 performance as well, with two runs scored at the plate.
 
The Mustangs return home for the final home game of the season on Saturday, April 21 when they take on the County College of Morris in a Sophomore Day Doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. at the Flowers Park Softball Field.
 
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).