EUNICE, La., February 12, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team picked up its first win of the season in Game 2 on Saturday of a doubleheader at Div. II No. 1-ranked LSU Eunice at Bengal Stadium. The Mustangs fell, 8-0, in Game 1, before rebounding for a 6-4 victory in the day's finale. The Mustangs move to 1-2 on the season, while handing the Bengals their first loss of the year and dropping them to 8-1. The Game 2 victory also marks the first collegiate win for new Mustangs head coach Elliott Ayala.
 
GAME 1: D2 #1 LSU Eunice 8, Monroe 0
The Bengals got the scoring started after an error in the bottom of the second led to a two-out rally. Korey Cooper reached on an error on a grounder, and then Beau Kirsch singled to center to keep the inning going. Carter Quinn then tripled to deep center, plating both runners to give the home team the first two runs of the game. Quinn then scored on a passed ball to put LSU Eunice up by three with a trio of unearned runs.
 
Reed Eason led off the fourth for the Bengals with a triple to center. Cooper then took the next pitch over the right-field wall for a two-run homer, giving the home team a 5-0 lead. Quinn was later standing on third when a wild pitch allowed him to score, leaving the Bengals up, 6-0, after four.
 
The bottom of the sixth, LSU Eunice added to its lead in what proved to be its final at-bat of the game. With the bases loaded, Peyton LeJeune walked to bring in the Bengals' seventh run. A wild pitch then brought in Quinn to make it an 8-0 ballgame.
 
Grant Goodlad took the loss in his first start for the Mustangs, yielding two earned runs in 3.1 frames with six strikeouts. Patrick Vienne got the win for LSU Eunice with five shutout innings in the start.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 6, D2 #1 LSU Eunice 4
A bunch of walks allowed the Bengals to take a quick lead in the bottom of the first in Game 2. Four of the first five Bengal batters drew a base-on-balls, bringing in the first run of the contest and leaving the Bengals up, 1-0.
 
The Mustangs took advantage of some miscues by the Bengals to jump on top in the second. Christian Aliberti and Jaison Andujar each walked to open the frame. Luis Villalba attempted the sacrifice bunt, but the throw went high to second instead, allowing all three runners to reach safely. Freddy Herrera then grounded into a fielder's choice to short, allowing Aliberti to score and tie the game. Pedro Crespo then followed with another fielder's choice to second, bringing in Andujar to put the Mustangs ahead, 2-1.
 
A walk by Grant Mangrum and then a double by Quinn quickly had two in scoring position for the Bengals in the home half of the second. Kole Myers then grounded out to second, but it was deep enough to bring in Mangrum and tie the game. LeJeune then hit another grounder to second, which was also enough to score Quinn and put the Bengals ahead, 3-2.
 
That lead did not stand for long, as the Mustangs knotted things up in the top of the third. With one out, Monroe's single-season home run leader, Salix Felix, blasted his first long ball of the season to right-center field, making it a 3-3 ballgame.
 
Felix led off the top of the sixth with a line-drive double to left field. Dante Paolucci then blasted a two-run homer down the right-field line, giving the Mustangs a 5-3 advantage.
 
Je-andrick Lourens was working his fourth inning in relief in the bottom of the seventh, but ran into trouble the for the first time in the game. Myers drew a walk, and then moved to second on a passed ball. LeJeune then singled to left, and advanced on the throw to home to put both runners in scoring position without an out. Lourens then got the next two hitters to strike out. Michael Fontenot then hit a long fly ball to center, but Nathaniel Alvarez made the catch while falling backwards to escape trouble without any damage.
 
Kristopher Salinas drew a walk with one out in the top of the ninth. Felix then singled to third. A wild pitch moved both runners up, and then one more brought in Salinas to put the Mustangs up, 6-3.
 
With two outs in the bottom of the ninth, Cade Hart hit a solo homer to right-center to get the Bengals within two, but Lourens struck out the final batter of the game after that to secure the win.
 
Lourens went the final six innings for Monroe, striking out 11 batters while allowing just one run on five hits to pick up his first win as a Mustang. Jackson Fraser took the loss for LSU Eunice after yielding two runs in 1.1 frames.
 
Felix finished 3-for-4 in the win, falling a triple shy of the cycle with a homer, a double and a single. He scored twice and knocked in one run. Paolucci went 1-for-4 with a two-run homer that proved to be the game-winner, adding a stolen base. Alvarez batted 1-for-3 with a stolen base. Salinas, Aliberti and Andujar all scored in the game, while Crespo and Herrera each registered an RBI.
 
The Mustangs and Bengals go head-to-head once more on Sunday, Feb. 13, with the Mustangs looking to leave Louisiana with a series split. First pitch from Bengal Stadium is set for 3 p.m. EST.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 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 and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 14 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). Read Full Article