SELDEN, N.Y., April 20, 2021 – The Monroe College Mustangs softball team got a pair of homers from Rachel Barker and another from Brianna Nunez in a pair of losses at Suffolk County Community College on Tuesday. The Mustangs fall to 2-12 overall, while the Sharks improve to 11-2 on the season.
 
GAME 1: Suffolk 14, Monroe 8
The Mustangs got off to a hot start in Tuesday's opener, starting with a leadoff single by Brenda Rodriguez. Mya Jack then drew a walk to get two runners on. Brianna Nunez delivered the big blow of the inning, a three-run homer to left, leaving the Mustangs up, 3-0.
 
The Sharks struck back in the home half of the first with back-to-back homers by Jaden Thompson and Dina Kessinger to get within a run.
 
Antanina Yarusso led off the bottom of the second with a single for the Sharks. Alyssa Jones then reached on an error that resulted in her moving all the way to third, bringing in Yarusso to tie the game. Gabriella Vacchio then doubled to left, plating Jones to put the Sharks ahead, 4-3.
 
Thompson hit her second solo homer of the game in the bottom of the third to give the Sharks a 5-3 edge. After Kessinger singled, Daja Farmer hit a two-run home run to center to push the lead to 7-3. A couple errors later in the inning resulted in another three runs coming in, leaving Suffolk ahead, 10-3, after three.
 
Suffolk added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth, but the Mustangs responded in their next two at-bats. Letty Chavez-Rendon hit a leadoff triple in the fifth, and Nickoya Lindo followed with a walk. Brenda Rodriguez brought them both in on a double to left, leaving the Mustangs down, 12-5.
 
It took one swing to add another two runs for Monroe in the top of the sixth. With Katherine Garcia on first after a single, Rachel Barker blasted a two-run homer to center to make it a 12-7 game.
 
Another two runs came in for the Sharks in the sixth to push their lead up to 14-7. The Mustangs got one more back in the top of the seventh on an RBI double by Jack that brought in Lindo from third, but that was it for the game's scoring, as the Mustangs fell by six.
 
Nunez finished 1-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored after her first-inning three-run homer in the game. Brenda Rodriguez went 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run and a double. Jack hit 1-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run. Garcia batted 2-for-3 with a run scored. Barker went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer. Chavez-Rendon hit a triple in a 1-for-3 outing, also scoring a run. Lindo scored once in a 1-for-2 effort.
 
GAME 2: Suffolk 12, Monroe 1
The Sharks got off to a huge start, scoring 11 runs in the bottom of the first. They then added a 12th run in the bottom of the second.
 
Barker got the Mustangs on the board in the top of the fifth with her second homer of the day, a solo shot to center, making it a 12-1 game.
 
Barker went 1-for-2 with her solo homer in Game 2. Brenda Rodriguez hit 1-for-3, while Alyssa Alfaro batted 1-for-2.
 
The Mustangs will look to bounce back in a newly scheduled contest against Yeshiva University on Wednesday, April 21, at Veterans Field Park in Edgewater, N.J. The single game is set to begin at 8 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).