Monror College Athletics

SOUTH PRINCE GEORGE, Va., March 7, 2020 – Playing for the first time in the 2020 season, the Monroe College Mustangs softball team took to the road for a season-opening three-game series at Richard Bland College, beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday. The Mustangs dropped a pair of one-run decisions to the Statesmen, falling in Game 1, 4-3, before dropping an 11-10 final in Game 2. The Mustangs fall to 0-2 to start the season, while Richard Bland improves to 6-2.
 
GAME 1: RICHARD BLAND 4, MONROE 3
The Mustangs had some rust to shake off early in Saturday's opener, as a pair of errors led to the Statesmen taking the lead in the bottom of the first. After a one-out double by Madison Kelley, two straight batters reached on errors to bring in the first two runs of the game. Kiara Toler then capped off the inning with an RBI single to right, leaving Richard Bland up, 3-0, with three unearned runs.
 
The Mustangs caught a break in the top of the third to score their first run of the season. Marissa Vanduzer ripped a triple to center with two away to keep the inning going. Then a wild pitch on what would have been an inning-ending strikeout brought Vanduzer in to cut the deficit to 3-1.
 
A pair of walks in the bottom of the third put two runners on with two out for the Statesmen. Haley Godfrey then doubled to left, scoring Madison Rice to push the lead to 4-1.
 
Brenda Rodriguez led off the fourth for Monroe with a single into right field. Samantha Mancillas then attempted a sacrifice bunt, but an error put her on second base while allowing Rodriguez to come around and score to make it a two-run game once again.
 
The Mustangs had two on with one out in the top of the sixth after a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Another error during an at-bat by Mancillas brought Mya Jack in to score from second to make tia  4-3 ballgame, but the Mustangs were unable to bring in another run to tie the game after that.
 
Rachel Watson grabbed the win for the Statesmen to improve to 3-0 on the season. She allowed one earned run on three hits. Macie Kuppenbender shouldered the loss to start the season 0-1. She allowed just one earned run on five hits while striking out eight batters.
 
Vanduzer finished 1-for-3 with a triple and a run scored in the game. Rodriguez hit 1-for-1 and was hit by a pitch twice. Stacy Hernandez also picked up a hit in the game, finishing 1-for-3.
 
GAME 2: RICHARD BLAND 11, MONROE 10
Game 2 featured a number of big rallies on Saturday. The Statesmen got on the board once again in the bottom of the first. With runners on the corners, Rice singled to center and the Statesmen managed to get both runners across to take an early 2-0 lead.
 
The Mustangs got one back in the top of the third. With two outs, Rodriguez drew a walk and then stole second. Mancillas then singled into center, bringing in Rodriguez to cut the deficit in half.
 
Four walks allowed to the first five batters of the bottom of the third brought in Richard Bland's first run of the inning. Godfrey then hit a two-RBI single to make it a 5-1 score. Teri Jackson followed with another RBI single to push the home team's lead to six. Jamie Fields later hit a two-out since to bring in another run, and Kelley followed with one more RBI single to leave the Statesmen on top, 8-1.
 
The seven-run hole proved to be not so daunting for the Mustangs, who quickly rebounded in the top of the fourth. With a runner on second, Rachel Barker hit an RBI single up the gut to cut the deficit to six. With two outs and Barker on second, Kuppenbender doubled to left to bring her home and make it an 8-3 game. An error on a ball put in play by Vanduzer allowed Kuppenbender to score and keep the inning going for the Mustangs. With two on, Mancillas hit an RBI single to left to get Monroe within three. Kaylynn Lopez then singled into left, plating Mancillas and Alyssa Alfaro to get the Mustangs within a run at 8-7.
 
A pair of singles managed to put two runners in scoring position for the Statesmen in the home half of the fourth. Toler grounded out, but a throw from first to home went wide, allowing both runners to score and push the lead to 10-7.
 
Camryn Brooks singled to lead off the seventh for the Mustangs. She moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Lucy Rivera-Duval. Letty Chavez-Rendon then singled to center and brought in Brooks to make it a two-run game. Kuppenbender then beat out a bunt single to get two runners on. A wild pitch put both runners in scoring position, and a groundout by Vanduzer brought in Chavez-Rendon to get Monroe within a run. The Mustangs then caught a break, as a dropped pop up off the bat of Rodriguez scored Kuppenbender from third, tying the game at 10-10.
 
Right after Monroe's big comeback, Jackson led off the bottom of the seventh for the Statesmen with a leadoff home run, walking it off for the home team with an 11-10 win.
 
Ellen Palya got the win for the Statesmen after allowing seven runs (three earned) in 6.2 innings of work. Stacy Hernandez suffered the loss in relief, giving up three runs on six hits across three frames.
 
Mancillas batted 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored in Game 2. Lopez knocked in two runs in a 2-for-4 effort. Kuppenbender finished 3-for-5 with a double, two runs and an RBI. Barker went 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base. Chavez-Rendon also finished 1-for-3 an RBI and a run.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back and leave the weekend with their first win, as Monroe and Richard Bland wrap up their series on Sunday, March 8, with one more game. First pitch is scheduled for 12:30 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).