WEST WINDSOR, N.J., April 27, 2018 – After suffering a tough loss to ASA College on Thursday, the Monroe College baseball team bounced back with a 5-2 victory at Mercer County Community College Friday afternoon. The Mustangs improve to 26-12-1 on the year with the win, while the Vikings fall to 23-16-1.
 
Edwin Feliciano Jr. got things started on the right foot with a leadoff single in the top of the first. Joseph Encarnacion then kicked off his big day with an RBI triple to deep center, giving the Mustangs a quick 1-0 advantage.
 
Mercer County put two runners in scoring position in the second with nobody out. Mark Saponaro hit a sacrifice fly to left with one away, bringing in a run to tie the game at 1-1.
 
The Vikings struck again in the bottom of the third when Sean McGeehan hit a solo homer to left, putting the home team up, 2-1.
 
The score remained the same until the top of the fifth. Diego Arcelay led off with a single, and Feliciano later added another single with one away. Encarnacion then blasted a three-run homer over the left-field fence, putting the Mustangs on top, 4-2.
 
Hanging on to a two-run lead, the Mustangs started a rally with two outs in the ninth when Kevin Garcia drew a walk. Juan Torres then pinch ran for Garcia, quickly stealing second base. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch, and an errant throw by the catcher allowed him to come home and push Monroe's lead to three.
 
Francisco Justo tossed eight innings, allowing just two runs on three hits while fanning nine batters to improve to a perfect 7-0 on the season. Jason Alvarez tallied his fifth save of the year with a hitless ninth inning. Mercer County starter Peter Nielsen dropped to 1-1 after giving up four runs in six frames.
 
Encarnacion finished 2-for-4 with a season-high four RBIs, a run, a triple and his second homer of the season. Feliciano batted 3-for-4 out of the leadoff spot, scoring twice in the game. Arcelay went 1-for-4 with a run.
 
The Mustangs take Saturday off before heading down to Bethlehem, Pa. to take on Northampton Community College in a single nine-inning game. First pitch is set for 12 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).