WEST HARRISON, N.Y., March 15, 2019 – In just its second time playing this season, the Monroe College Mustangs JV baseball team dropped a pair of close matchups against Westchester Community College on Thursday at Silver Lake Park. It took 13 innings to decide a winner in Game 1, seeing the Vikings walk off in the bottom of the final frame to win, 6-5. Westchester then picked up a 5-2 victory in Game 2. The Mustangs fall to 0-4 on the season, while the Vikings improve to 5-0.
 
GAME 1: WESTCHESTER 6, MONROE JV 5 (13 INNINGS)
Thursday's opener featured plenty of drama, as the lead went back-and-forth a number of times throughout the contest. The Mustangs picked up the first lead of the day when Forrest Ruiz blasted a homer to lead off the second inning, giving Monroe a 1-0 edge.
 
The Mustangs' lead did not stick for long, as back-to-back singles by Steve Guzman and Steve Messerschmitt managed to bring in the tying run for the Vikings in the bottom of the second.
 
Monroe put two runners on when Jaylen Kelley and Stanley David both singled in the top of the third. Ruiz then singled in Kelley from third, putting the Mustangs back on top, 2-1.
 
Javier Ortiz led off the top of the fifth with a triple to get things going for Monroe. Kelley grounded out to the shortstop during the next at bat, plating Ortiz to push Monroe's lead to 3-1.
 
Westchester quickly responded in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game. With a runner on second and two away, CJ Spence doubled, scoring Sean Vanegas to get within a run. Tyler Mandel then singled in Spence to tie the game up at three.
 
The Mustangs were once again able to rally in the top of the sixth to take the lead right back. Jordy Batista reached on an error to lead off the inning, and then Jonas Marte pinch ran for him. Marte then stole second to get into scoring position, but the next two batters were unable to reach base. Chris Javier then drew a walk, and Ortiz delivered the big blow, a two-RBI triple to center to give the Mustangs a 5-3 advantage.
 
Spence drew a walk in the bottom of the seventh with one out. Mandel then singled, and a bad throw from left allowed Spence to move to third on the play. Steve Guzman then flew out to right, deep enough to score Spence on a sacrifice fly to get the Vikings back within a run. Messerschmitt drew a walk, and then a balk put both baserunners in scoring position. An error on a slow grounder by the third baseman then allowed a run to score, tying the game at 5-5. A fielder's choice then ended the frame and sent the scheduled seven-inning game to extra innings.
 
It took until the 13th inning to decide a winner in Game 1. Messerschmitt and Michael Cox both drew walks with one out in the home half of the inning. Tyler Parshley then knocked in Messerschmitt with a single for the walkoff 6-5 win.
 
Luis Gomez picked up the win in relief for the Vikings, tossing four scoreless innings to improve to 1-0. Chayanne Carty shouldered his first loss for the Mustangs after giving up the winning run in the 13th. Marcos Rodriguez fared well in relief for the Mustangs during the extra frames, tossing four scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and just two hits allowed. Paul Delgado drew the start and went four innings, yielding just one run and striking out six.
 
David finished 4-for-6 in the win, while both Ortiz and Ruiz went 3-for-6 with two RBIs and a run apiece. Ortiz hit a triple in the game, while Ruiz launched a home run. Kelley batted 1-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Kevin Hernandez hit 1-for-4, while Javier scored a run after going 1-for-5.
 
GAME 2: WESTCHESTER 5, MONROE 2 (5 INN)
Things did not get off to the same start in Game 2 as they did in Thursday's opener. In the bottom of the first, Guzman got things going for Westchester with a leadoff double. He moved to third on a ground out, and then Mandel drew a walk. Mandel then attempted to steal second, and an error by the catcher allowed him to move to third and Guzman to score to give the Vikings an early lead. Messerschmitt then drew a walk, and then another error on a steal brought in Mandel to make it a 2-0 game. Parshley then grounded out to first, plating Messerschmitt from third to leave the Vikings up, 3-0, after one.
 
The Mustangs managed to chip away at the deficit in the top of the third. Marte singled with one out, then Jason DeJesus followed with a single of his own. A balk put both runners in scoring position, and then an RBI single by Carlos Aranda got Monroe back within two. Francisco Paulino then hit a sacrifice fly to right, scoring DeJesus to make it a 3-2 game.
 
The Vikings scored the final two runs of the game in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Vanegas singled in Parshley to make it a 4-2 game. Jhojandy Hernandez then drew a walk, bringing in one more run to give the Vikings a 5-2 advantage.
 
Optaciano Polo picked up the win for Westchester after tossing the complete seven innings. Edinson Sanchez took the loss for Monroe after allowing five runs in three frames.
 
Marte finished 1-for-3 with a run, while DeJesus went 1-for-2 with a run of his own. Aranda batted 1-for-2 with an RBI. Paulino added the Mustangs' other RBI, but finished 0-for-2. Javier subbed in during Game 2, going 1-for-2 with a double.
 
The Mustangs get back to work on Friday, March 15, when they play the Monroe Express in their home opener at Dick Caswell Field in New Rochelle. First pitch for intra-campus matchup is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 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 nine varsity and junior varsity 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).