BEL AIR, Md., March 8, 2020 – In the first of three doubleheaders to be played between the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team and Harford Community College over the next 10 days, the Mustangs and Fighting Owls split their first two matchups of the season on Sunday. The Fighting Owls picked up a 7-6 victory in Game 1, but the Mustangs bounced back with a 5-3 victory in Sunday's finale. Monroe leaves the weekend with a 5-8 overall record, while Harford moves to 9-4.
 
GAME 1: HARFORD 7, MONROE 6
Tom Brosnahan opened the bottom of the second with a single to right, but an error allowed him to go all the way to third. Brelon Harden capitalized with a single into left to plate Brosnahan and give the Fighting Owls a 1-0 lead. Harden was later on third when a wild pitch allowed him to score and put Harford up, 2-0.
 
A two-out double by Braydon Parr kept the bottom of the third alive for the Fighting Owls, and a single immediately after by Brosnahan brought him in to score, putting the home team up, 3-0.
 
Ian Clemente drew a walk with one away for the Mustangs in the top of the fourth, and then Nathaniel Alvarez singled to right with two away. Jose Martinez then blasted a three-run homer over the wall in right-center, tying the game at 3-3. The Mustangs were not done there, as Joan Sosa kept the fourth going with a single into left-center. Daniel Alfonzo then followed with a single to center, on which Sosa showed some great hustle and managed to score all the way from first to put the Mustangs ahead, 4-3.
 
A double and a single had runners on second and third for the Fighting Owls in the home half of the fourth. Alex Barker then singled to left, plating a run to tie the game at 4-4. Two batters later, Brosnahan hit a two-RBI single to right, giving Harford a 6-4 advantage.
 
The Mustangs trailed all the way up until their final chance in the top of the seventh. With one out, Joshua Lopez singled into left, and then Joseph Caba launched a game-tying two-run homer to eventually send the game to the bottom of the seventh with a 6-6 stalemate.
 
Reyce Curnane hit a leadoff double for the Fighting Owls in the bottom of the seventh, but with one out, he was thrown out at third on a fielder's choice. A walk put two runners on, and then Parr hit a single into left-center, bringing in the winning run to walk it off for the Fighting Owls.
 
Carter Heller picked up the win in relief for the Fighting Owls after a third of an inning of work, improving his record to 2-1. Gabriel Rodriguez shouldered the loss in relief for the Mustangs after yielding the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
 
Martinez continued a hot start to the season by going 2-for-4 with a three-run homer and a stolen base in Game 1. Caba hit a two-run homer in his only official at-bat in the game, and also managed to steal a base after a walk. Sosa hit 2-for-3 with a double and a run scored. Lopez went 1-for-2 with a run scored, while Alvarez scored once in a 1-for-3 outing. Alfonzo finished 1-for-4 with an RBI.
 
GAME 2: MONROE 5, HARFORD 3
Leivin Rodriguez opened the top of the second with a single to left for the Mustangs, and then Jared Paladino followed with a single of his own to put runners on the corners. Lopez grounded into a double play, but Rodriguez was able to score on the play to give the Mustangs an early 1-0 edge.
 
The Fighting Owls jumped into the lead in the bottom of the third when Curnane sent a two-run homer over the fence in right-center to put the home team ahead, 2-1.
 
Harford's lead stuck all the way until the top of the sixth. Alfonzo led off the inning with a single to left. With two outs, Paladino kept the inning going with a walk. Lopez then rocketed a three-run homer to center, pushing the Mustangs into the lead, 4-2.
 
Brosnahan opened the home half of the sixth with a double for the Fighting Owls. With two outs, Harden single to right, bringing in Brosnahan to get Harford within a run.
 
Miguel Toribio opened the seventh with a single, and Alfonzo followed two batters later with a one-out single. Martinez then lined out to second, but an error by the second baseman trying to turn a double play resulted in Toribio coming in to score, giving the Mustangs a 5-3 edge. Elvin Ramos then came on for the Mustangs in the bottom of the seventh and tossed a clean frame to close out the game with a victory.
 
Olvis Genao had a strong start for the Mustangs in Sunday's finale, going six frames and allowing just three runs while striking out 11 batters to earn the win and improve to 3-1 overall. Ramos' scoreless seventh earned him his first save of the year. Cameron Kalandros matched Genao's 11 strikeouts, but gave up four runs in 5.2 frames to shoulder the loss and drop to 1-1.
 
Lopez hit 1-for-3 with the game's big blast, a three-run homer that proved to be the game-winner. Toribio finished 2-for-3 with a run and a stolen base out of the leadoff spot. Alfonzo batted 2-for-4 with a run scored. Paladino went 1-for-1 with a run and two walks. Rodriguez batted 1-for-4 with a run in the win.
 
The Mustangs' next contest will be their home opener at Dick Caswell Baseball Field in New Rochelle. Monroe will host SUNY Sullivan in a single nine-inning game on Tuesday, March 10, with first pitch slated for 3:30 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).