NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 30, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs softball team dropped a pair of contests to Lackawanna College Wednesday afternoon at Flowers Park. The Mustangs fell in five frames to the Falcons, 13-4, in Game 1, before a comeback by Lackawanna gave the visitors Game 2, 13-8.
 
GAME 1: Lackawanna 13, Monroe 4 (5 INN)
The Falcons' bats caught fire early, as the visitors put up 11 runs across the first two innings for a big lead. The Mustangs got on the board in the bottom of the second when Miralba Sandez skied a long fly ball over the center fielder for a leadoff solo homer, making it an 11-1 ballgame. Monroe added another run in the bottom of the third when Camryn Brooks doubled to left-center, scoring Zoe Rivera from first to make it an 11-2 game.
 
Monroe made it three straight innings with a run in the bottom of the fourth. Genelly Cruz kept the inning alive with a two-out triple to right-center. Asia Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, and then Mya Jack beat out a bunt single, bringing in a run to make it an 11-3 score.
 
The Falcons got two more runs in the top of the fifth on a two-run homer by Emma McNally to make it a 13-3 game. Thanysha Gil homered for Monroe in the bottom of the fifth to make it a 13-4 score, but it was not enough to extend the game.  
 
Mackayla Quick picked up the complete-game victory for Lackawanna to improve to 4-4 on the season. Angelina Perez shouldered the loss for Monroe to fall to 2-2.
 
Gil finished 2-for-3 with a solo homer in the game. Sandez went 1-for-3 with a solo homer as well. Brooks hit 1-for-3 with an RBI double. Cruz tripled in a 1-for-2 outing, scoring a run as well. Rivera scored after hitting 1-for-3. Jack knocked in a run in a 1-for-2 effort.
 
GAME 2: Lackawanna 13, Monroe 8
Game 2 got off to a much different start. Lackawanna went down 1-2-3 in the first before the Mustangs got off to a hot start. Jack led off with a bunt single toward third, and then went on to steal second and advance to third on a wild pitch during the next at-bat. Rivera followed with a walk, and then a double steal brought in Jack to give Monroe the first run of the game. Gil then hit her second homer of the day on a hard liner into the gap in right-center, leaving Monroe up, 3-0.
 
The Falcons got a run back in the top of the second. With two on, Catarena Sommers doubled to right, bringing in McNally to make it a 3-1 game. The Mustangs then turned a double play with the bases loaded on a line drive to short, and then got the last batter of the inning to pop out to end the threat.
 
Meghan Fritz opened the third for Lackawanna with a solo homer down the left-field line, bringing the score to 3-2.
 
Gil stayed hot with a leadoff single in the home half of the third. Sandez followed with a single of her own to put runners on first and third. The Mustangs attempted a double steal, and both runners managed to advance safely, seeing Gil score to make it a 4-2 game. Brooks made it three straight singles to score Sandez from second and put Monroe up by three. Cruz then ripped a homer to right-center, bringing two more runs home to leave Monroe up, 7-2.
 
The Falcons got themselves back into the game with a fourth-inning rally. With two on, Jennifer Wolak doubled down the right-field line to bring in a run and make it a four-run game. Kira Ryan then beat out an infield single to score another run and get the visitors within three. Two batters later, Savannah Glover hit a two-RBI single to left, leaving the Falcons down by just a run.
 
The run continued for Lackawanna in the fifth. A single and a walk had two on for the Falcons, and then Sommers singled into left to bring in a run and tie the game. With one out, Wolak hit an RBI single to put the Falcons up for the first time in the game, and then Ryan added another RBI single to make it a 9-7 game in favor of the Falcons.
 
The Falcons kept it going once again in the sixth. With two outs, Skylynn Gilligan kept the inning alive with a single to left. Sommers hit another single, and then Quick reached on an error that brought in a run. Wolak added an RBI single after that to leave the Falcons ahead, 11-7.
 
Glover hit a one-out solo homer in the seventh to put the Falcons up by five. Gilligan later hit an RBI single to push the lead to 13-7.
 
Gil had one more highlight for the day with a solo homer to lead off the seventh, but that was all the Mustangs could muster up in the final frame, falling to the Falcons, 13-8.
 
Wolak got the win in the circle for the Falcons after five innings in relief to improve to 1-0. Asia Gonzalez took the loss for Monroe to drop to 2-3.
 
Gil went 3-for-4 with two homers, three RBIs and three runs in Game 2. Cruz batted 1-for-4 with a two-run homer. Jack hit 2-for-4 with a run scored. Brooks finished 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Sandez also scored a run in a 1-for-4 outing.
 
The Mustangs will hit the road for the first time in 10 games this Sunday, April 3, to visit Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md. Game 1 of the doubleheader is set to begin at 12 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