FLORENCE, S.C., February 25, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team took on No. 18 Florence-Darlington Technical College and East Georgia State College as part of Florence-Darlington's Stinger Invitational on Friday at Dailey Field. The Mustangs fell to the Stingers in Game 1, 9-8, before a loss to East Georgia State in Game 2, 14-10.
 
GAME 1: #18 Florence-Darlington 9, Monroe 8
Tre Williams opened the bottom of the first with a walk for the Stingers. He then stole second to get into scoring position. Anderson Fulk then singled up the middle to bring him in and put the home team up, 1-0.
 
The Mustangs turned things around in the top of the second. Jaison Andujar, Daniel Palermo and Angel De La Cruz each walked with one out to load the bases. With two down, Miguel Toribio hit a single that managed to bring in three runs to put the Mustangs up by two.
 
Monroe extended the lead in the top of the third. Dante Paolucci walked with one down, and then Pedro Crespo reached on an error. Andujar then singled into center, plating Paolucci to go up, 4-1. Palermo followed with a groundout to short, but it was enough to score Crespo from third to make it a 5-1 Mustang lead.
 
William led off the third for Florence-Darlington with a homer to center, getting the Stingers within three. Then, in the fourth, the Stingers took advantage of what was given to them to jump into the lead. A hit-by-pitch and an error put two runners on for the Stingers, and then a two-out walk loaded the bases. A passed ball on strike three allowed a runner to score and make it a 5-3 game. A walk and then two hit-by-pitches brought in another three runs for the Stingers, putting them ahead, 6-5.
 
A pair of walks put two on for the Stingers with one out in the bottom of the sixth. Dylan Johnson then doubled to left, bringing in a run to push the home team's lead to two. An error on the next at-bat allowed two more runners to come in, leaving the Stingers up, 9-5, after six.
 
The Mustangs did not go down quietly in the seventh. Toribio singled to lead off the frame, and then Nathaniel Alvarez was hit by a pitch. Salix Felix drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out, and then Paolucci took advantage with a double to center, plating two runs to get Monroe within two. Crespo then grounded out to third, bringing in Felix to make it a one-run game at 9-8. Andujar nearly tied the game, but a grounder toward first was thrown home, getting Paolucci at the plate before he could score. The final batter then struck out to end the game.
 
Andrelis Payampas took the loss for the Mustangs after 3.2 frames and two earned runs allowed, but he struck out eight batters in the game. Trent Simmons got the win in relief for the Stingers with three shutout frames, while Matt Poston got the save after taking over in the ninth two runs already in for Monroe.
 
Toribio finished 2-for-4 with two RBIs, a run scored and a pair of stolen bases in the game. Paolucci knocked in two runs as well, scoring once after a 1-for-3 outing that included a double. Andujar batted 1-for-3 with a run, an RBI and a stolen base.
 
GAME 2: East Georgia State 14, Monroe 10
The Bobcats got off to a quick start in Friday's second contest. Ty Jackson led off with a single, and was then brought in on a double by Cameron Crosby two batters later to put East Georgia State up, 1-0, in the top of the first.
 
The Mustangs fired back in their first at-bats of the game. Alvarez was hit by a pitch with one out, and then stole second and third. Paolucci kept the inning going with a walk, and then Luis Tejada slammed a three-run homer to left, putting the Mustangs on top, 3-1.
 
Kennard Dawson singled with one out in the top of the second for the Bobcats. He stole second before Colton Lopez hit a two-out RBI single to center, getting the Bobcats back within a run at 3-2.
 
Jackson was hit by a pitch to start the third for East Georgia State, and then Maurice Gomez doubled to left to put both runners in scoring position. Crosby followed with a three-run homer over the wall in left to put the Bobcats ahead, 5-3. The rally continued for the Bobcats with Landry Mead singling in the next at-bat. He moved up to second on a wild pitch, and then came around to score on a one-out RBI double by Dawson, making it a 6-3 ballgame.
 
The action stayed hot in the bottom of the third. Toribio led off with a single, and then Alvarez drew a walk. Felix then belted his third homer of the year to deep center, tying the game at 6-6 with a three-run shot.
 
The Mustangs then jumped out ahead in the bottom of the fourth. Luis Villalba led off the frame with a double to center, and then Kristopher Salinas drew a walk. Crespo sacrificed both runners into scoring position, and then Toribio hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Villalba from third to put Monroe on top, 7-6.
 
Unfortunately, the lead did not last long for the Mustangs. The Bobcats loaded the bases with two outs in the fifth before Gomez singled into center, bringing two runs home to jump ahead, -8-7. Crosby continued a big game on the next pitch with an RBI single to left, bringing the score to 9-7. Mead then reached on an error that brought in one more run, leaving East Georgia State up, 10-7, after five.
 
The Bobcats put together another big inning in the sixth. With runners on the corners, Chase Kirkland reached on an error, to bring in a run. Two batters later, Jackson also reached on an error with the bases loaded, allowing all three runs to score and push East Georgia State's lead to 14-7.
 
The Mustangs once again did not go down without a fight. Alvarez walked, and then Palermo was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Paolucci followed with a two-RBI double to center to make it a 14-9 score. Two batters later, Andujar hit another double to center, plating Paolucci to bring the Mustangs within four, but that was the end of the rally for Monroe.
 
Merritt Evans picked up the win for the Bobcats in relief to improve to 1-1 on the season. Adrian Batista suffered the loss for Monroe in relief after yielding four unearned runs across 2.1 frames.
 
Felix went 1-for-2 with a three-run homer in the game, while Tejada finished 1-for-4 with a three-run homer of his own. Paolucci batted 1-for-3 with a double, two runs and two RBIs. Andujar hit 1-for-4 with a double and an RBI, while Villalba also went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Toribio knocked in a run and scored another in a 1-for-3 outing. Alvarez walked twice and was hit by a pitch, leading to him scoring three times and steal two bases in Friday's second game. Salinas went 1-for-3.
 
The Mustangs will run it back again on Saturday, Feb. 26, with another doubleheader against the Stingers and Bobcats. The schedule matches Friday's, with the Mustangs and Stingers going head-to-head at 10 a.m., followed by Monroe against East Georgia State at 12:30 p.m.
 
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