SCRANTON, Pa., April 24, 2021 – After not losing a game since March 25, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team saw an 11-game winning streak (16-0-1 since March 25) come to an end on Saturday, as the Mustangs dropped a pair of one-run games at Lackawanna College. Monroe falls to 24-4-1 overall with the losses, while the Falcons improve to 21-8.
 
Game 1: Lackawanna 4, Monroe 3
After neither team was able to bring in a run across the first three frames in Game 1, Lackawanna got all of its production in the bottom of the fourth. With two on and one out, Matthew Nyce hit an RBI double to bring in the first run of the day. An error during the next ball in play brought in Cesar Castro to make it a 2-0 game. Nyce later scored on a failed pickoff attempt at third, and then Brandon Ernst hit an RBI single to leave the Falcons ahead, 4-0.
 
The Mustangs finally began to chip away at the deficit in the top of the sixth. Daniel Palermo drew a walk with one out, and then Jose Martinez brought him in on an RBI double. After Martinez stole third, Joan Sosa plated him with a sacrifice fly to right, cutting the deficit to 4-2.
 
The Mustangs had their chance in the top of the seventh. Jared Paladino doubled with one out, then moved to third on a ground out by Dante Paolucci. He scored on a wild pitch to get the Mustangs within a run, but that was it for Monroe, as the Mustangs fell by a score of 4-3.
 
Vladimir Ceverino went all six innings on the hill for the Mustangs, but allowing three earned runs to take his first loss of the year and fall to 3-1. Kyle Borrello got the win for the Falcons after giving up just two runs across six frames, while Justin Gohsler secured a saved in the seventh.
 
Martinez went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a double in Game 1 for the Mustangs. Paladino scored a run after going 1-for-3 with a double. Sosa went 0-for-2, but contributed an RBI.
 
Game 2: Lackawanna 3, Monroe 2
It was the Mustangs that scored first in Game 2 on Saturday. With one out and runners on the corners in the top of the first, Monroe attempted a double steal, but Sosa was caught at the plate, while Salix Felix moved to second. Felix later advanced to third, and an RBI single by Anthony Fontana brought him in to give the Mustangs an early 1-0 advantage.
 
The Falcons once again did all their damage in one inning in Game 2. Raymond Vorhees tied the game with a two-out solo homer in the bottom of the third. Ernst followed with a double, and then got knocked in on a single by Quinn Hanafin to give the Falcons the lead. Two more singles resulted in Hanafin coming home as well, leaving the Falcons ahead, 3-1.
 
The Mustangs were down to their final out in the top of the seventh when Martinez blasted his fourth homer in 17 games to get Monroe within a run. Unfortunately, that was all the Mustangs could produce in the seventh, dropping another one-run decision.
 
Olvis Genao went all six innings for the Mustangs, allowing three runs with eight strikeouts, but taking the loss to drop to 2-1 on the year. Kyle Scott improved to 4-0 for the Falcons after tossing all seven frames with just two runs allowed.
 
Martinez batted 1-for-4 with his solo homer in Game 2. Fontana hit 1-for-3 with an RBI. Paladino went 1-for-2 with his second double of the afternoon.
 
The Mustangs will remain on the road for a very busy week. They will now head down to Virginia to start their week with a three-game series at Bryant & Stratton College (Va.). The series begins with a single game on Monday, April 26, at 3 p.m. The Mustangs and Bobcats then conclude their series with a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 27, beginning at 2 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).