EUNICE, La., February 13, 2019 – In its first of seven games down south this week, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team dropped an 8-3 decision to defending NJCAA Division II National Champion Louisiana State University-Eunice (LSUE) at Bengal Stadium. The Mustangs drop to 1-4 on the young season, while the Bengals remain perfect at 9-0.
 
Things did not get off to a good start for the Mustangs, as the Bengals put runners on first and third just two batters into the bottom of the first. Evan Keller went to steal second, but the pitch got into the dirt, allowing Javier Vaz to score from third and move Keller to third to give the Bengals an early 1-0 lead. Two batters later, Tristan Welch hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Keller to give the home team a 2-0 advantage after one.
 
The Bengals added to their lead with two outs in the bottom of the second. Nick Bellina scored from third on a passed ball, making it a 3-0 lead for the Bengals in the second.
 
The Mustangs got themselves on the board in the top of the fourth. Daniel Alfonzo reached on an error by the shortstop with one away. Joseph Encarnacion then doubled to center, putting runners on second and third. Adner Mercado then hit a fly ball to left, deep enough to score Alfonzo for a sacrifice fly to make it a 3-1 ballgame.
 
The Mustangs later cut the deficit to one with one out in the visitor's half of the sixth. Alfonzo hit a long fly ball over the wall in left-center field for his first career home run, dropping LSUE's lead to 3-2.
 
The Bengals quickly added to their lead with a little luck in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on second and third, the Bengals attempted a suicide squeeze. The batter missed the bunt, but the runner came home anyway, deking around the tag to reach the plate safely and make it a 4-2 game.
 
A sloppy seventh inning put the Mustangs in a deep hole. A pair of errors led to the Bengals scoring four runs without a single hit in the inning, improving their lead to 8-2 after seven frames.
 
The Mustangs managed to load the bases in the top of the eighth. Freddy Rojas Jr. walked with one away, then Alfonzo singled into left. Encarnacion was then hit by a pitch to put runners on all three bases. Mercado followed with a fly ball to center, deep enough to score Rojas for Mercado's second sacrifice fly of the game, bringing the score to 8-3.
 
After a rough start, Brandon Backman settled in to strike out 12 batters in five innings, but he yielded four runs (two earned) on two hits to fall to 0-1 on the season. LSU-Eunice starter Dane Dixon picked up his second win of the season after giving up just two runs (one earned) on four hits across seven frames.
 
Alfonzo made good of his first start in the Mustangs' lineup on Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with his first home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Encarnacion and Bernal each went 1-for-3 with a double. Mercado knocked in two runs with a pair of sacrifice flies in the game. Gustavo Gonzalez finished 1-for-4.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back when they head into Texas tomorrow to take on Wharton County Junior College in Wharton, Texas. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 27 teams competing across nine sports. There are 18 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has seven teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.
 
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).