SUMTER, S.C., April 28, 2018 – The No. 6 seed Monroe College softball team saw its season come to an end on Saturday, as the Mustangs fell to No. 4 seed, and tournament host, USC Sumter, by a score of 7-2 in an elimination game in the Region X Championship Tournament. The Mustangs finish the season with a 21-19 overall record, while the Fire Ants improve to 19-17 and continue on in the tournament.
 
The pitching on both sides was overwhelming early on, as the scoreboard was still empty until the bottom of the fourth. The Fire Ants rallied to put up seven runs in the frame on seven hits to take a big lead on the Mustangs.
 
The Mustangs made a late push in the top of the seventh, looking to make a comeback. Brooke Kane led off the inning with a single to center, but Luna Hernandez hit into a fielder's choice, getting Kane out at second. Kimberly Zapata flew out to right, leaving the Mustangs an out away from defeat. Brooke Boechler then kept the Mustangs' hopes alive, blasting a two-run homer over the left-field fence to make it a 7-2 ballgame. Chantel Winstead then singled into left, and Selena Aguirre followed with a single through the left side, forcing the Fire Ants to switch pitchers and shuffle their defense. Alexis Lyles took the circle for USC Sumter, and managed to strike out the final batter of the game to give the home team the win.
 
Megan Phillips picked up the win for the Fire Ants to improve to 10-4 on the season. Brianna Casiano shouldered the loss for Monroe despite allowing just one earned run, falling to 10-6.
 
Boechler capped off a strong finish to the season by going 3-for-4 with a two-run homer. Zapata batted 2-for-4 with a double. Aguirre, Brianna Martinez and Abigail Cancilla all finished 1-for-3 in the game.
 
The Mustangs finish the year with a 21-19 record, and qualified for the postseason for the first time since moving up to NJCAA Division I. They also finish the season above .500 for the first time since 2015.
 
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).