BATAVIA, N.Y., March 23, 2021 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team kicked off a three-day road trip in Upstate New York on Tuesday by sweeping a doubleheader at Genesee Community College, winning Game 1 by a score of 19-1 in five inning and claiming Game 2, 9-6, after six innings due to darkness. The Mustangs improve to 5-1 on the year with the two victories, while Genesee drops to 0-4.
 
The Mustangs' bats are hot to start the 2021 campaign. With Tuesday's wins, the Mustangs have score nine-or-more runs in five of their six games, including all of their victories so far. Monroe is averaging just under 11 runs per game across the first six contests of the season.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 19, Genesee 1 (5 INN)
The Mustangs struck early and often in Tuesday's opener at Genesee. Joan Sosa opened the game with a double to center, moving to third on a wild pitch during the next at-bat. Leivin Rodriguez then brought him in on a ground out to third to put the Mustangs on top quickly. With two outs and the bases load, Dante Paolucci doubled into right field, bringing in all three runs to push the lead to 4-0.
 
Genesee's Brandyn Gatenby chipped away at the deficit with a solo homer with one out in the bottom of the first for the Cougars, leaving them down, 4-1, after one.
 
A single by Salix Felix and a walk by Pedro Mota put two runners on with two outs in the top of the second for the Mustangs. Anthony Fontana came through with a three-run homer to left, stretching the Mustangs' lead to 7-1.
 
The runs kept coming for Monroe in the third, starting with a one-out solo homer for John Garcia. The bases were loaded when Mota drew another walk to bring in Monroe's ninth run of the game. A wild pitch scored Rodriguez from third to make it 10-1, and then Fontana singled to left to score Felix and push the lead to 10 runs. Paladino beat out a single to third to bring in Mota and make it a 12-1 game, and then Paolucci launched a three-run homer to left to make it a 15-1 ballgame after three.
 
Monroe was not done there, as the hits kept coming in the fourth. Sosa reached on an error, then Rodriguez doubled to right to put both runners in scoring position. Felix singled to short, bringing in Sosa for a 15-run edge. The bases were loaded with one out when Paladino drew a walk to plate Rodriguez and make it a 17-1 game. A two-out walk by Nathaniel Alvarez pushed the lead to 18-1, and then Garcia reached on an error to bring in Monroe's final run of the game to reach the eventual final score of 19-1.
 
Anthony Vargas made his first start of the season in Tuesday's opener, going the complete five innings and allowing just one run on one hit while striking out eight batters. Hailer Zambrano-Solis took the loss for the Cougars after yielding seven runs (four earned) in two innings.
 
Fontana finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, four runs scored, a home run and three walks in the win. Paolucci drove in six runs after hitting 2-for-4 with a homer and a double. Felix scored four times in 2-for-3 effort, knocking in a run as well. Sosa went 1-for-4 with three runs and a double. Rodriguez scored twice and added an RBI after going 2-for-4 with a double. Paladino batted 1-for-2 with two runs, two RBIs and two walks.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 9, Genesee 6 (6 INN, Darkness)
Sosa got the Mustangs off to a hot start in Game 2 with a leadoff solo homer to right for a quick 1-0 advantage.
 
The Cougars responded in the bottom of the first to take their first lead of the day. Reece Correa hit a one-out double, and Gatenby was hit by a pitch to put two runners on with two down. Carson Barker then singled into center, where the ball was then misplayed, allowing two runs to score and the home team on top, 2-1.
 
The Mustangs pushed themselves back into the lead with a little help in the top of the third. Sosa was on second with two away when Christopher Martinez singled up the middle, bringing him in to score and tie the game. Mota reached on an error to keep the inning going, and then Angel De La Cruz walked to load the bases. Richard Vasquez singled to left, but the ball was misplayed, allowing three runs to score and put the Mustangs ahead, 5-2.
 
Monroe added to its lead in the top of the fourth with some more clutch two-out hitting. Rene Rios was on second after singling and moving up on a passed ball, and Martinez brought him home on a single to center to give the Mustangs a four-run advantage.
 
The lead kept growing in the top of the fifth for the Mustangs in Tuesday's finale. De La Cruz walked to open the frame, and moved all the way to third after a pair of wild pitches. Vasquez took advantage with a double to left to bring in another run and make it a 7-2 ballgame.
 
The home team did not go down easy in Tuesday's second contest. With two runners in scoring position, Gatenby hit a double to right, clearing the bases to bring the Cougars back within two.
 
The Mustangs erased Genesee's two runs with two of their own in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded, Vasquez came through once again with a two-RBI single into center, giving Monroe a 9-4 edge.
 
The Cougars once again continued to fight in the home half of the sixth. With the bases loaded, Moises Garcia Cantres brought in two runs on a single up the middle, bringing the home team within three.
 
The game continued into the seventh inning, but with the home team at bat, it was deemed too dark to continue play, erasing the seventh frame and giving the Mustangs a 9-6 victory in six innings.
 
Claudio Rodriguez got his first win for the Mustangs, allowing just three earned runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts across five frames. Tyler Peterson took the loss for Genesee after giving up the lead in the third inning. Adrian Batista picked up a two-out save for Monroe after taking over during the sixth inning.
 
Vasquez had a big game for the Mustangs, finishing 3-for-4 with four RBIs and a double in the win. Martinez went a perfect 4-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs. Sosa hit 1-for-2 with a solo homer, two runs scored and a stolen base. Rios hit 1-for-3 with a run scored.
 
The Mustangs continue their upstate trip on Wednesday, March 24, when they visit Niagara County Community College in Sanborn, N.Y., for another doubleheader. Game 1 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 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports program, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 17 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 Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@Monroe_Mustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).