SCOTLAND, Pa., April 22, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team pushed its winning streak to seven games on Friday, as the Mustangs swept a doubleheader at Scotland Campus Sports Prep. The Mustangs won Game 1, 11-0, in five innings before a 6-2 victory to close out the day. The Mustangs improve to 18-22 overall with two more wins on Friday.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 11, Scotland Campus 0 (5 INN)
The Mustangs got off to a blistering start in Game 1. After a walk by Miguel Toribio and a single by Nathaniel Alvarez, Andres Castro blasted a three-run homer over the right-field fence for an immediate 3-0 lead. Jaison Andujar followed with a single, and then Salix Felix ripped a line drive over the right-field wall for a two-run home run and a 5-0 Mustang lead. Angel De La Cruz continued the rally with a single, and then Luis Tejada hit a one-out, two-run homer to center, pushing the lead to 7-0.
 
The Mustangs kept rolling in the second. Alvarez was hit by a pitch, Castro singled, and then Andujar was also plunked to load the bases. Felix then brought in Alvarez with a single to left to put Monroe up by eight. De La Cruz followed with an RBI single of his own, and then Luis Villalba hit a sacrifice fly to right to score Felix and leave Monroe up, 10-0.
 
Toribio led off the third with a double into right. After moving to third on a wild pitch, Alvarez brought him in with a sacrifice fly to left, making it an 11-0 ballgame.
 
Claudio Rodriguez made the start for Monroe and tossed four innings of two-hit baseball, striking out four batters without yielding a run to improve to 1-1 on the season. Angel Aviles pitched the fifth for Monroe without allowing a hit. Diego Jimenez took the loss for Scotland Campus.
 
Castro went 3-for-4 with a three-run homer in Game 1. Felix batted 2-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs and his second home run in as many games. Tejada finished 1-for-2 with a two-run homer of his own. De La Cruz hit 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Toribio doubled and scored twice in a 1-for-3 effort. Alvarez scored two runs and knocked in another after hitting 1-for-1 with a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Andujar went 1-for-2 with two runs scored.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 6, Scotland Campus 2
Game 2 did not get off to the same explosive start for Monroe as Game 1 did, as Scotland Campus ended up putting a run on the board in the bottom of the first for an early 1-0 lead. Andujar then led off the top of the second with a single to right, and later moved to second on a passed ball. De La Cruz then singled him in, tying the game up at 1-1. Villalba singled to right to put runners on first and third, but a grounder by Tejada caught De La Cruz trying to score for the second out of the frame. Kristopher Salinas came through with a single to right, scoring Villalba to put Monroe in the lead. Tejada then scored on a wild pitch, leaving the Mustangs ahead, 3-1.
 
In the bottom of the second, Scotland Campus strung together three straight one-out singles, bringing in a run to make it a 3-2 ballgame.
 
It took until the top of the sixth for either team to score again. Castro led off the inning with a double to left. Felix and De La Cruz each walked with one away, and then Villalba singled in Castro to put Monroe up by two. Tejada then hit a sacrifice fly to left to score Felix from third and make it a 5-2 Mustang lead.
 
The Mustangs picked up one more run in the top of the seventh. Castro kept the inning going with a two-out single, and then Andujar drew a walk. After Castro swiped third, Felix singled him in, pushing Monroe's advantage to 6-2, the eventual final score.
 
Jeffrey Pena went five innings in the start for Monroe, allowing just two runs with seven strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 2-0 on the year. Adrian Batista tossed the final two frames for Monroe, Samuel Herrera shouldered the loss for Scotland Campus.
 
Castro had another strong game at the dish, hitting 2-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and a stolen base in the win. Villalba batted 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Felix hit 1-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI. Andujar scored a run in a 1-for-3 outing. Salinas batted 1-for-3 with an RBI.
 
The weekend continues for the Mustangs on Saturday, April 23, when they move over to Scranton, Pa., to take on Lackawanna College in a doubleheader at Scranton High School. The day begins for the Mustangs and Falcons at 2 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