NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 30, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team completed a perfect 5-0 season against Region 15 rival ASA College (NYC) on Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader against the Avengers at Dick Caswell Field. The Mustangs won the opener, 3-2, before a 6-3 win in Game 2. The Mustangs improve to 22-26 overall with the wins, while the Avengers fall to 12-14-1.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 3, ASA 2
An odd play then led to the Mustangs breaking a scoreless tie in the bottom of the third. With the bases loaded, Luis Villalba hit a grounder to third, which saw Angel De La Cruz thrown out at home. The Avengers tried to double up Villalba at first, but he beat a throw that ended up ricocheting off the first baseman, allowing Kristopher Salinas to come around and score and put Monroe up, 1-0.
 
ASA had a runner on second in the fourth when Santiago Vega hit an RBI single to tie the game. Two batters later, Jose Lojo knocked in Vega with an RBI single of his own to put the Avengers in the lead, 2-1.
 
The Mustangs did not stay down for long. The bases were loaded with nobody out in the home half of the fourth when Nathaniel Alvarez hit a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Salix Felix to tie the game. With the bases loaded once again, Salinas reached on a fielder's choice that allowed Jaison Andujar to score from third, putting Monroe up, 3-2, which proved to be the final score of the game.
 
James Vaughn earned the victory for the Mustangs with four innings and no earned runs allowed, improving to 2-1 on the season. He struck out three batters and allowed just four hits. Adrian Batista notched his second save of the season with three scoreless innings. Omar Santos Rodriguez took the loss in relief for ASA to fall to 1-2.
 
Felix hit 2-for-3 in Game 1 with a run scored. Salinas finished 0-for-2, but was still productive with a run and an RBI. Toribio hit 1-for-2 in the game.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 6, ASA 3
The Mustangs got off to a quicker start in Game 2. Pedro Crespo hit a one-out single up the middle in the bottom of the first. After he stole second, Felix doubled to center to bring Crespo home, giving Monroe an early 1-0 edge.
 
The Mustangs held their one-run lead until the top of the fourth. With two on and two outs, Elquin Rodriguez singled into left, scoring Ivan Santos to tie the game.
 
Once again, the Mustangs bounced back strong after losing their lead. With one out in the fourth, Alvarez and De La Cruz hit back-to-back doubles to put Monroe back on top. With the bases loaded later in the frame, Crespo ripped a two-RBI single into left, scoring De La Cruz and Salinas to make it a 4-1 lead for Monroe.
 
ASA chipped away at the deficit in the top of the sixth. With a runner on third, Johan Sandoval hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Santos to make it a 4-2 game. After Elquin Rodriguez reached on an error. Vega doubled to right-center, scoring Rodriguez to make it a one-run game.
 
Monroe quickly put runners on first and third in the bottom of the sixth, allowing Salinas to knock in a run with a sacrifice fly, making it a 5-3 ballgame. With two outs, bounced one off the wall down the left-field line for an RBI double, scoring De La Cruz to reach the eventual final score of 6-3.
 
Claudio Rodriguez picked up the win for the Mustangs after going four innings with just one run allowed and four strikeouts, improving him to 2-1. Albert Bobadilla earned his first save with a perfect seventh inning. Robert Nunez took the loss for ASA to drop to 0-2.
 
Crespo went 3-for-4 with a double, three RBIs and a run in the Game-2 victory. Alvarez doubled and scored two runs in a 1-for-2 effort. De La Cruz hit 1-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, as well as a double of his own. Felix doubled in a run in a 1-for-2 outing. Salinas once again managed to be productive despite going 0-for-2, knocking in a run while scoring one himself.
 
The Mustangs will close out the regular season on Sunday, May 1, when they host Mercer County Community College at Dick Caswell Field. The game is set to begin at 12 p.m. The Mustangs will also celebrate Sophomore Day prior to first pitch on Sunday.
 
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