FLORENCE, S.C., March 1, 2020 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team closed out its weekend at the Stinger Invitational, hosted by Florence-Darlington Technical College, with a pair of losses in a weekend-closing doubleheader. The Mustangs fell to Potomac State College of WVU, 10-4, in their opener for the day, before dropping a 5-1 decision to host Florence-Darlington. The Mustangs will head home with a 3-7 overall record.
 
GAME 1: POTOMAC STATE 10, MONROE 4
The Mustangs got off to a solid start in Sunday's opener. Miguel Toribio led off the bottom of the first with a walk, and then Leivin Rodriguez doubled with one away to put both runners in scoring position. Joseph Caba came through with a two-RBI single, quickly putting the Mustangs up, 2-0.
 
The lead did not stick for long, as the Catamounts put together a big rally in the top of the second to jump ahead. The leadoff hitter singled, and then three straight walks brought in a run for Potomac State. With two outs later in the frame, Dale Houser tripled to clear the bases, scoring three more runs to leave the Catamounts on top, 4-2.
 
The Mustangs bounced right back in the bottom of the second. Dante Paolucci singled with one out, and then Joan Sosa blasted a two-run homer, tying the game at 4-4.
 
The Catamounts were able to take the lead once again on an error by the Mustangs in the top of the third. With two outs, an error at first allowed two runs to score, but the Mustangs got the next runner out at the plate to end the inning with Monroe trailing, 6-4.
 
Two singles and a walk had the bases loaded with one out for the Catamounts in the fifth. A passed ball then brought in a run, and a sacrifice fly plated another, making it an 8-4 game.
 
The Catamounts added to their lead again in the sixth. With a runner on first, Hayden Almond stroked a double, plating Houser to push the lead to 9-4. Potomac State added one more run on an RBI single by Zack Whitacre in the seventh to cap off the Catamounts' 10-4 win.
 
Colton Matthews picked up the win for the Catamounts, tossing 3.2 shutouts innings in relief. Vladimir Ceverino shouldered his second loss for the Mustangs after yielding five earned runs in 4.1 frames.
 
Rodriguez continued to rake for the Mustangs, hitting 3-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Sosa finished 1-for-2 with a two-run homer. Joshua Lopez hit 2-for-3 in the game. Caba knocked in two runs in a 1-for-3 effort. Paolucci scored once after batting 1-for-3.
 
GAME 2: FLORENCE-DARLINGTON 5, MONROE 1
The Mustangs once again jumped out to the first lead in Game 2 against Florence-Darlington. Three walks in the top of the third loaded the bases for the Mustangs, and a fourth walk drawn by Daniel Alfonzo brought in Paolucci to make it a 1-0 game.
 
The Stingers tied the game in the bottom of the third on a miscue by the Mustangs. With runners on first and second, a passed ball moved both runners up, and then an error by the catcher brought in Florence-Darlington's first run to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Walks put the Mustangs in some trouble again in the bottom of the fourth, as three straight loaded the bases without an out. DJ Sullivan then singled to left, plating two runs to put the Stingers ahead, 3-1. Josearmando Diaz hit a one-out single to right, bringing in another run to make it a 4-1 game. A fielder's choice then brought in one more run for the Stingers, leaving them up, 5-1, which proved to be the final score.
 
Jermaine Vanheynin picked up the win for the Stingers, tossing four innings and allowing one run to improve to 3-1 on the year. Anthony Vargas shouldered the loss for Monroe, giving up three earned runs across three frames. Elian Oda came on in relief and threw three scoreless innings with four strikeouts.
 
Jose Martinez hit 1-for-3 with a stolen base in the game. Paolucci scored another run after going 1-for-2. Rodriguez batted 1-for-2 with a walk.
 
The Mustangs will play next on Wednesday, March 4, when they visit Mercer County Community College in West Windsor, N.J., for their first game in the northeast this season. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 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 Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 12 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 Mustangs), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).