NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 14, 2022 – In a game that nearly came down to the wire, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team rallied in the bottom of the sixth to defeat the Monroe College Express, 4-3, Monday afternoon at Dick Caswell Field. The Mustangs improve to 6-12 overall with the win, while the Express fall to 2-4.
 
Small ball helped put the Express in the lead in the top of the first. Jose Arrieta walked to lead off the game, and then stole second. Juan Jorge dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Arrieta to third, and then a slow groundout to the pitcher by Joseph Rosario brought in Arrieta to make it a quick 1-0 lead for the visitors.
 
The lead did not last long for the Express. Miguel Toribio led off the home half of the first with a walk, but the next two Mustangs flew out. Dante Paolucci made sure the Mustangs did not remain down, ripping a triple over the right fielder's head to plate Toribio and tie the game at 1-1.
 
The Mustangs jumped ahead in the bottom of the second. Luis Tejada led off with a walk, and then Pedro Crespo hit a line drive off the third-base bag for a double to put two runners in scoring position. Toribio brought in Tejada with a sacrifice fly to left, making it a 2-1 ballgame.
 
The Express rallied themselves right back into the lead in the top of the third. Randy Diaz led off with a walk, and was then sacrificed over to second by Salomon Lluveres. Arrieta was hit by a pitch, and then stole second to get both runners in scoring position. Rosario came through with a two-out triple to left-center, plating both runners to put the Express up, 3-2.
 
The score remained until the bottom of the sixth. Angel De La Cruz drew a walk, and then a pinch-hitting Kristopher Salinas did his job, laying down a perfect sacrifice bunt to get De La Cruz to second. Crespo then roped a double to deep left-center, scoring De La Cruz to tie the game at 3-3. Toribio immediately responded with a single up the gut, scoring Crespo to put the Mustangs ahead, 4-3, with what proved to be the game-winning hit.
 
The Mustangs used five different pitchers in the game, with Adrian Batista earning the win with two scoreless innings in relief to pick up the win and improve to 1-1. Chris Dominguez took the loss for the Express despite a strong outing, dropping to 0-1.
 
Toribio knocked in two runs after hitting 1-for-2 with a run scored as well. Paolucci went 2-for-3 with an RBI triple. Crespo batted 2-for-3 with an RBI, a run and a double. Andres Castro hit 1-for-4 in the game.
 
The Mustangs play next on Saturday, March 19, when they host Scotland Campus for a doubleheader at Dick Caswell Field. First pitch of Game 1 is set for 1 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