SCRANTON, Pa., March 22, 2022 – 11 was the lucky number for the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team on Tuesday, as they evenly split 22 runs across a pair of victories over Lackawanna College in a doubleheader at Scranton High School. The Mustangs came back late to defeat the Falcons in extra innings, 11-9, in Game 1, before letting the momentum roll in an 11-3 win to close out the day.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 11, Lackawanna 9 (8 INN)
The Mustangs did not need long to get on the board in Tuesday's opener. Miguel Toribio led off the game with a double, and then a single by Pedro Crespo put runners on the corners. A passed ball then allowed Toribio to score and put the Mustangs up, 1-0, in the first.
 
The Falcons jumped ahead in the home half of the second. With a runner on second, Julian Thompson doubled him in to tie the game at 1-1. Daniel Helfgott then hit a double of his own to bring in Thompson and put the home team on top, 2-1.
 
The Mustangs did not stay down for long. Toribio drew a walk with one out in the top of the third. Crespo then singled two get two runners on, and then they both moved into scoring position after a balk. With two down, Dante Paolucci smacked a two-RBI single, pushing the Mustangs ahead, 3-2.
 
The Mustangs had two outs in the top of the fifth before Andres Castro doubled to left to keep the inning going. Paolucci came up clutch again, singling up the middle to bring Castro home from second and make it a 4-2 game.
 
Lackawanna bounced right back in the bottom of the fifth. Helfgott and Cody Fleischer both singled to lead off the inning, and then a ground out moved both into scoring position. Quinn Hanafin followed with a two-RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.
 
Nathaniel Alvarez was hit by a pitch with one out in the sixth, and then Angel De La Cruz hit a single to put runners on the corners. A passed ball then brought Alvarez home from third, putting Monroe back on top, 5-4.
 
The Falcons put together a big rally in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead once again. With the bases loaded, Thompson hit a sacrifice fly to center, bringing in a run to tie the game. With two outs, Fleischer hit a bases-clearing triple to knock in two more runs and make it a 7-5 lead for the Falcons. Daniel Keenan then singled in Fleischer to leave Lackawanna on top, 8-5.
 
In the top of the seventh and final scheduled inning, Castro led off with a walk for Monroe. With one out, Salix Felix singled, and then Jaison Andujar doubled to right-center, plating Castro to make it an 8-6 game with the tying run on second. Alvarez then drew a walk to load the bases. With two outs, Luis Villalba came in to pinch hit. He hit a long fly ball to center field that was dropped by the center fielder, allowing all three baserunners to score, putting the Mustangs back on top, 9-8.
 
Unfortunately, the Mustangs were unable to put it away in the bottom of the seventh. Jacob Simpson walked with one away, then moved to second on a passed ball. Eric Ludwick then singled him in, tying the game at 9-9 and eventually forcing extra innings.
 
Crespo led off the eighth with a single, and then Castro reached on an error to put runners on first and third. Paolucci came through with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring Crespo to put Monroe up, 10-9. Castro stole second, and then a single by Felix had runners on first and third once again. Andujar then brought in another run via sacrifice fly with a fly out to center, scoring Castro to make it an 11-9 Mustang lead, which the Mustangs held onto in the bottom of the eighth to earn the Game 1 victory.
 
Adrian Batista got the win in relief for the Mustangs to improve to 2-1 on the season. Grant Goodlad tossed a scoreless eighth inning to earn his first save. Lackawanna's Ty Morris took the loss after yielding the winning runs in the eighth. Andrelis Payampas went five frames after getting the start for Monroe, yielding four runs with four strikeouts.
 
Paolucci went 2-for-4 with four RBIs in the win. Andujar finished 2-for-3 with two RBIs, a run scored and a double. Crespo batted 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Felix hit 2-for-5 with a run and a stolen base. Castro scored three times in a 1-for-4 effort, adding a stolen base and a double. Toribio scored a pair of runs after going 1-for-2 with two walks. Alvarez finished 0-for-1, but drew three walks and a hit-by-pitch, leading to two runs.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 11, Lackawanna 3
The Mustangs rode the momentum of the Game 1 win into a hot start in Game 2. Toribio and Crespo hit back-to-back singles to lead off the game. Paolucci then hit an RBI single to score Toribio and give Monroe a quick 1-0 lead. Felix followed with another single to bring in Crespo for Monroe's second run, and then a groundout by Andujar plated Paolucci to make it a 3-0 game. Alvarez walked with two outs, and then the Mustangs attempted a double steal, which saw the catcher throw the ball into left field, allowing Felix to score and make it 4-0. Kristopher Salinas knocked in one more run with an RBI single that scored Alvarez from third, leaving Monroe up, 5-0.
 
The Mustangs expanded the lead in the top of the second. Crespo hit a leadoff single, and Paolucci hit another single with one out. Felix drew a walk to load the bases, and then Andujar brought in two with a single, making it a 7-0 ballgame. Alvarez walked to load the bases again, and then a fielder's choice by Villalba managed to bring in Felix to push the lead to eight.
 
Monroe continued to light it up in the third. Toribio hit a leadoff single, and then Crespo doubled him in to make it a nine-run game. Castro walked, and then Felix hit into a fielder's choice that saw Castro get forced out at second, but an errant throw to first brought in Crespo to make it a 10-0 game.
 
The Falcons ended Monroe's shutout in the home half of the fourth. With two runners on, George Castro blasted a three-run homer to make it a 10-3 Mustang lead.
 
In the top of the fifth, Castro got on with one out after an error by the third baseman. Paolucci singled to put runners on the corners, and then Andujar later drew a walk with two outs to load the bases. Alvarez was hit by a pitch, bringing in Castro to put Monroe up, 11-3.
 
Je'andrick Lourens had a strong start for Monroe, tossing six frames and allowing just three runs on three hits while striking out 11 batters to earn the win and improve to 2-1. Carlos Peguero threw the final inning for the Mustangs, allowing just one hit with two strikeouts. Marc DeNunzio took the loss for Lackawanna to fall to 1-1.
 
Paolucci had another strong showing, hitting 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored to go with a stolen base in the win. Crespo batted 3-for-4 as well with three runs scored, an RBI and a double. Toribio went 2-for-5 with two runs out of the leadoff spot. Alvarez continued to show extreme patience at the dish, finishing 0-for-1, but drawing another three walks and a hit-by-pitch, while adding a run scored and an RBI. Felix scored twice, knocked in a run and stole a base in a 1-for-4 effort. Andujar plated three runs after hitting 1-for-4. Salinas picked up an RBi after hitting 1-for-4.
 
A busy week for the now 8-12 Mustangs continues tomorrow, March 23, when they visit Mercer County Community College in West Windsor Township, N.J. The nine-inning contest is set to begin at 3 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