SCRANTON, Pa., April 8, 2021 – Taking to the road for the first time in 2021, the Monroe College Mustangs softball team dropped a pair of contests at Lackawanna College Thursday afternoon. The Mustangs fall to 1-7 on the year with the losses, while the Falcons improve to 9-3.
 
GAME 1: Lackawanna 12, Monroe 4 (5 INN)
The Falcons got off to a big start in the bottom of the first. With the bases loaded and one out, a wild pitch brought in Gabby Vuocolo for a quick 1-0 lead. A double by Madison McVicar brought in another run to double the lead. Two batters later, Camryn Domiano hit a two-RBI single to right, and an error in right allowed her to come all the way around to score and make it a 5-0 lead for the home team.
 
The Falcons put the Mustangs in a deep hole in the bottom of the second. A string of four straight doubles accumulated five runs to make it a 10-0 game, and a bases-loaded fielder's choice later in the frame brought in one more to leave the Falcons up, 11-0.
 
The Mustangs began to fight back in the third. Brenda Rodriguez led off with a single, later stealing second base. Brianna Nunez then singled her in with a line drive to center, getting the Mustangs on the board for the first time in the game.
 
Monroe rallied again in the top of the fourth, beginning with Rachel Barker being hit by a pitch. She later stole second, and then Alyssa Alfaro drew a walk. Nickoya Lindo then flew out to left, but it was deep enough for Barker to score from second base and Alfaro to move up to third. Sullyanne Rodriguez then singled in Alfaro, and Brenda Rodriguez followed with an RBI double to leave the Mustangs down, 11-4.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, the Falcons walked off for a run-rule victory after Skylynn Gilligan hit an RBI single, putting the Falcons up by eight runs.
 
Naidely Cabrera allowed seven earned runs in 4.2 frames to shoulder her third loss of the season on Thursday. Megan Fritz improved to 4-0 for the Falcons after giving up four runs across five innings.
 
Brenda Rodriguez finished 2-for-3 with a double, a run and an RBI in the game. Nunez also went 2-for-3 with an RBI. Camryn Brooks and Katherine Garcia each hit 1-for-3. Sullyanne Rodriguez entered the game later, but finished 1-for-1 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
GAME 2: Lackawanna 14, Monroe 6 (5 INN)
It was the Mustangs that got off to the quick start in Game 2 on Thursday. Brenda Rodriguez tripled to left field to lead off the game, and an error on the throw by the left fielder allowed her to go home, giving the Mustangs an immediate 1-0 advantage.
 
Lackawanna took control in the bottom of the second. Gilligan and Isabella Mandrano hit back-to-back, two-out doubles to bring in a run, then Domiano tripled to left to score Mandrano to give the Falcons a 2-1 edge.
 
The Mustangs bounced right back in the top of the third. Nunez was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, and was then sacrificed all the way over to third by Brooks. A passed ball then brought her in to tie the game. With two outs, Barker beat out an infield single, and then Katherine Garcia ripped a double to center, scoring Barker to put the Mustangs back on top, 3-2.
 
The lead changed hands once again in the home half of the third. After the first two Falcons batted out, Mackenzie Rose beat out an infield single to keep the inning alive. Vuocolo then tripled to left, scoring Rose to tie the game. Mackayla Quick followed with a double, scoring Vuocolo to give the Falcons a 4-3 lead.
 
The pendulum swung right back in the Mustangs' direction in the top of the fourth. Cabrera singled into right to lead off the inning, and then Brenda Rodriguez tripled again to tie the game at 4-4. Angelina Perez then singled to center, scoring Rodriguez to put the Mustangs right back in the lead at 5-4.
 
Unfortunately, the lead did not last for long, as the Falcons rallied once again in the bottom of the fourth. A sacrifice fly with runners on second and third by Kamden Miller tied the game at 5-5. Morgan Mesaris then reached on a dropped fly ball, bringing in another run to give the Falcons the lead. Gianna Telesco followed with an RBI single to make it a two-run game. With two outs, Lynda Lawrence hit another RBI single to leave Lackawanna with an 8-5 lead after four.
 
Brenda Rodriguez continued a strong game at the plate in the top of the fifth. With Letty Chavez-Rendon on third, Rodriguez singled her in, getting Monroe back within two.
 
The Falcons then put together their biggest inning of the game to once again walk off in the fifth. Domiano got the scoring started with a two-RBI double, and later scored on a single by Miller. Mesaris added another RBI single to make it a six-run game. Rose hit an RBI double two batters later, and then Vuocolo ended the game with an RBI single to center, pushing the score to 14-6.
 
Perez shouldered the Game 2 loss for the Mustangs, yielding six earned runs across four-plus innings. Quick got the start for the Falcons, but Emma Stoker got the win in relief to improve to 1-0.
 
Brenda Rodriguez finished 3-for-3 with two triples, two runs and two RBIs in Game 2. Perez hit 2-for-4 with an RBI. Garcia batted 1-for-3 with an RBI double, while Barker went 1-for-33 with a run scored. Chavez-Rendon also scored a run in a 1-for-2 effort.
 
The Mustangs are on the road once again on Saturday, April 10, when they visit Orange County Community College in Middletown, N.Y. Game 1 is set to begin at 12 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).