NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 15, 2019 – Fueled by a brilliant pair of performances on the hill by Brandon Backman and July Sosa, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team shut out Brookdale Community College, 4-0, Monday afternoon at Dick Caswell Field. The Mustangs improve to 18-19 with the win, while Brookdale falls to 23-7.
 
Backman got the start and allowed just one hit while striking out five across five scoreless innings to improve to 5-2 on the season. Sosa came on in the sixth and pitched the final four frames, striking out 10 of the 12 batters he faced without allowing a base runner to earn his first save. Brookdale starter Justin Fall took the loss to fall to 3-3.
 
The Mustangs caught a break in the bottom of the first to take a quick lead in Monday's contest. Gustavo Gonzalez led off with an infield single to third. Two batters later, Daniel Alfonzo's chopper up the middle was mishandled by the second baseman to put two runners on. Gonzalez and Alfonzo then pulled off a double steal to put both runners in scoring position. With two outs, Alfonzo was picked off at second, but Gonzalez managed to score before Alfonzo was caught between bases, giving the Mustangs a 1-0 lead.
 
Alfonzo led off the sixth with a hard-hit single through the left side. Joseph Encarnacion hit another single two batters later. Alfonzo was then picked off at second for the second out of the inning. Leandy Castro followed with a line drive into right-center, bringing Encarnacion all the way in to score and make it a 2-0 game. Adner Mercado then singled into left, bringing in Castro to lead the Mustangs up, 3-0.
 
Jose Martinez led off the seventh with a double off the third-base bag for the Mustangs. He tagged up to third on a fly out to center by Gonzalez, and then came home on a sacrifice fly to center by Freddy Rojas Jr., giving Monroe a 4-0 edge.
 
Gonzalez and Encarnacion both went 2-for-4 with a run in the win, with Gonzalez also picking up a triple. Castro batted 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a double. Martinez hit 1-for-2 with a double and a run.
 
The Mustangs get back to work tomorrow, April 16, when they visit Mercer County Community College in West Windsor Township, N.J. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 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).