NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 14, 2019 – The Monroe College Mustangs softball team needed seven runs in each game to take down Rowan College of Burlington County in a doubleheader on Sunday at Flowers Park. Macie Kuppenbender threw a two-hitter to help lead Monroe to a 7-1 victory in Game 1, and then Marissa Vanduzer provided the walkoff win for the Mustangs in extra innings for a 7-6 triumph in Sunday's finale. The Mustangs improve to 17-12 overall with the wins, while the Barons drop to 4-15.
 
GAME 1: MONROE 7, ROWAN BURLINGTON 1
The Mustangs grabbed an early lead and never looked back in the Game 1 win. Chantel Winstead led off the bottom of the first with a single up the middle. Keira Matos sacrificed her to second, and then she stole third base. Kaylynn Lopez then singled her in, putting the Mustangs up, 1-0.
 
The Mustangs had the bases loaded in the bottom of the second when a wild pitch brought in Abigail Cancilla to make it a 2-0 game. After Lopez drew a walk, Samantha Mancillas was hit by a pitch, bringing in another run to leave Monroe up, 3-0.
 
The Barons were able to bring in a run in the top of the fourth after a pair of errors. The Mustangs responded in a big way in the home half of the inning. With two runners on, Lopez blasted a home run to left-center, pushing Monroe's lead to 6-1. Mancillas followed with a solo shot of her own to center, and the back-to-back homers left the Mustangs on top, 7-1, to cap off the early game's scoring.
 
Kuppenbender was stellar in the circle for the Mustangs, allowing just two hits and no earned runs while striking out six batters for the complete-game victory, improving her season record to 14-9. Hannah Kraszewski allowed three runs in 1.2 innings to take the loss for the Barons.
 
Lopez provided four RBIs after going 3-for-3 with a three-run homer in the win. Mancillas finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run and a home run. Winstead scored twice after hitting 2-for-4, while Matos went 2-for-3 with a run.
 
GAME 2: MONROE 7, ROWAN BURLINGTON 6
Things proved to be a little tougher for the Mustangs in Game 2, as the Barons managed to bring in a pair of runs in the top of the first. The Mustangs did not waste any time putting the game right back in their favor. After Winstead and Matos both reached on errors, a ground out by Lopez brought in Monroe's first run of the game. Mancillas then singled in another run to knot things up at two. Megan Soto then hit an RBI triple to give the Mustangs a 3-2 lead. Stacy Hernandez brought in Soto on a ground out to third, giving the Mustangs a two-run advantage. Later in the inning, the Mustangs loaded the bases and scored their fifth run of the frame on a wild pitch, leaving the Mustangs ahead, 5-2.
 
The Mustangs' five runs were all they managed to score over the first seven innings of Sunday's final game. The Barons chipped away at the deficit with an unearned run in the top of the third. Later, in the top of the fifth, the Barons rallied again, scoring two more runs to tie the game at 5-5. Neither team was able to bring a run across over the next two frames, leading to extra innings.
 
The Barons quickly took advantage of the international tiebreaker rule, which places a runner on second base to start each extra inning. A sacrifice bunt moved the runner over to third, and then a single by Mackenzie Greenwood brought in a run for the Barons to put them up, 6-5.
 
Mancillas was put on second to start the eighth for Monroe, and was then sacrificed to third by Soto. Hernandez was then hit by a pitch, and stole second to get into scoring position. With two outs in the inning, Vanduzer ripped a single into left-center, scoring both Mancillas and Hernandez to claim victory for the Mustangs in walkoff fashion.
 
Kuppenbender got her second win of the day in Game 2 to improve to 15-9. She allowed four earned runs in eight innings while striking out six. Taylor Braun took the loss for the Barons to drop to 1-1.
 
Mancillas batted 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI in the Game 2 victory. Vanduzer finished 2-for-3 with the two game-winning RBIs. Soto hit 1-for-3 with an RBI triple, also scoring a run in the game. Kuppenbender batted 1-for-3 with a run in the win.
 
The Mustangs get back to work on Friday, April 19, when they host Suffolk County Community College at Flowers Park. The doubleheader is set to begin at 1 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 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).