HOUSTON, Texas, February 15, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team dropped a pair of contests at San Jacinto College North on Friday at John Ray Harrison Field. The Mustangs drop to 1-7 to start the year, while the Gators improve to 8-3.
 
GAME 1: SAN JACINTO 3, MONROE 2
It took until the bottom of the fourth for either team to finally break through, but it took a little bit of luck to do so. The Gators loaded the bases with two outs in the home half of the fourth when a wild pitch brought Camryn  Williams home from third, giving San Jacinto a 1-0 edge.
 
Neifi Mercedes then led off the top of the fifth for the Mustangs with a double to the warning track in left-center field. He moved up to third on a wild pitch two batters later. Then, with two outs in the inning, a pitch in the dirt got past the catcher, allowing Mercedes to come home and score on a wild pitch, tying the game at 1-1 in appropriate fashion.
 
Chase Wilkerson reached on an error by the shortstop to open the bottom of the seventh for San Jacinto. A balk moved him over to second, and then a passed ball got him to third. With one out, a wild pitch brought Wilkerson in to score, giving the Gators a 2-1 advantage.
 
Jose Mercado led off the top of the eighth with a double into the right-center field gap. Thomas Drouin then went in to pinch run for Mercado. Joe Rosselli went for a sacrifice bunt, but the pitcher chose to throw to third, throwing it away from the third baseman and allowing Drouin to come in and score, tying the game at 2-2.
 
Hunter Townsend doubled down the left-field line to lead off the bottom of the ninth for the Gators. Tyriece Silas then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but he beat out the throw to first, putting runners on the corners. Andrew Papantonis then wrapped it up with an RBI single up the middle, plating Townsend for the winning run.
 
July Sosa turned in a great start for the Mustangs, striking out 11 batters and allowing just three hits in six innings of work, but he did not factor into the decision. Jacknell Guzman shouldered the loss despite a solid effort in relief. He allowed two runs (one earned) with four strikeouts in two-plus frames to fall to 0-1. Gator starter Jackson Rutledge, the top-ranked prospect in junior college, went seven frames and allowed one run, but he, too, was not involved in the decision. Luis Quinones picked up the win for the Gators in relief after allowing just one unearned run in two frames.
 
Mercedes finished 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored in Game 1. Mercado also hit a double in a 1-for-3 game. Encarnacion batted 1-for-3 for the fifth time in six games so far this season.
 
GAME 2: SAN JACINTO 10, MONROE 0
Williams got the scoring started for San Jacinto in the bottom of the second. He took the second pitch of the inning deep over the left-center field wall for a solo homer, making it a 1-0 game.
 
The Gators drew back-to-back walks to open the bottom of the third. Wilkerson then singled to load the bases, and Papantonis followed with a single to left, scoring two runs to make it a 3-0 game. With two outs, Ryan Hernandez drew yet another walk, plating another run to make it a four-run lead for the Gators. Adam Houghtaling walked in the next trip to the plate to push the lead to five. Chase Ferem followed with a three-run double to deep center, making it an 8-0 advantage for the Gators.
 
The Gators added another two runs in the fifth. Houghtaling hit an RBI triple with one away to make it a 9-0 game, and later scored on a dropped fly ball with two outs, pushing the Gators' lead to 10.
 
Mitchell Parker improved to 1-0 after tossing six scoreless innings for the Gators. Patrick Morrissey falls to 0-2 with the loss in his first start.
 
The Mustangs will look to turn things around tomorrow, Feb. 16, when they visit Alvin Community College for a doubleheader in Alvin, Texas. First pitch of Game 1 is scheduled for 1 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).