HOUSTON, Texas., February 20, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team dropped a pair of tough matchups at No. 3 San Jacinto College on Saturday at Harrison Field down in Texas. Monroe fell in Game 1, 7-2, before a 13-3 defeat in Game 2.
 
GAME 1: No. 3 San Jacinto 7, Monroe 2
The Mustangs got on the board first in Game 1 on Saturday. Nathaniel Alvarez led off the game with a single, and was then moved to second on a sacrifice bunt by Daniel Palermo. A passed ball put him on third, and then a wild pitch allowed him to score and make it a 1-0 game in favor of Monroe.
 
Unfortunately, the lead did not last long. Mason Lytle led off the bottom of the first with a single, and then a hit-by-pitch and three straight walks brought in the Gators' first two runs of the afternoon. MJ Rodriguez then hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it a 3-1 game. The Gators brought in their final two runs of the frame on an error, leaving the home team up, 5-1, after one.
 
Alvarez walked to lead off the fifth, and then a balk put him on second. Palermo grounded out to second, but it moved Alvarez over to third. Andres Castro then grounded out to third, but it was enough to bring Alvarez home and bring the score to 5-2.
 
With a run on and nobody out in the home half of the fifth, Harold Coll homered to left, giving the Gators a 7-2 lead.
 
Chris Stuart got the win for the Gators after allowing one earned run in five frames to improve to 3-0 on the season. Je-andrick Lourens took the loss to fall to 1-1 for Monroe.
 
Alvarez scored twice in a 1-for-3 outing for the Mustangs. Castro batted 1-for-2 with an RBI. Luis Villalba also went 1-for-2, while Dante Paolucci hit 1-for-3.
 
GAME 2: No. 3 San Jacinto 13, Monroe 3 (7 INN)
The Gators managed to take the lead in the first inning and never look back in Game 2. They put up a run in the first, two in the second, three in the fourth and four in the fifth to go up, 10-0.
 
The Mustangs picked up a couple runs in the top of the sixth. Castro led off with a single to center. With two outs, a pinch-hitting Miguel Toribio hit a single to left to keep the inning alive. Jaison Andujar then doubled into left field, plating both runners to make it a 10-2 game, but the Gators got one back in the home half of the inning to make it an 11-2 game.
 
Pedro Crespo, Alvarez and Kristopher Salinas all walked to open the seventh for Monroe. Castro grounded into a double play, but it brought in Crespo to bring the score to 11-3.
 
The Gators then walked it off via run-rule in the bottom of the seventh. With the bases loaded, Ryan Flores was hit by a pitch to make it 12-3. Cody Oliphant then dropped a ball into deep left field, allowing a run to score and effectively end the game via the run-rule before more runs could score.
 
Evan Godwin got the win in Game 2 for the Gators with five scoreless frames to improve to 2-1. Grant Goodlad shouldered the loss for Monroe to drop to 0-2 on the early season.
 
Castro finished 3-for-4 with a run scored for the Mustangs in Saturday's nightcap. Andujar went 1-for-3 with a two-RBI double. Toribio went 1-for-1 with a run scored. Villalba and Alvarez both hit 1-for-3 in the game.
 
The Mustangs will look to leave Texas with a win when they close out the series with San Jacinto on Sunday, Feb. 20. First pitch is slated for 2 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