NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., May 1, 2022 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team honored its sophomores in a pregame ceremony on Sunday ahead of the team's regular-season finale against Mercer County Community College at Dick Caswell Field. Mercer County went on to pick up the win, 12-7. The Mustangs will play next in the Region 15 Championship series this coming week.
 
The Vikings wasted no time getting on the board in Sunday's matchup. Xavier Delgado led off the game with a double off the wall in left-center, and then Randy Steen brought him in with a double into the left-center gap. Matt Ervolina followed with a single, and then stole second to put two runners in scoring position. Anthony Bruno knocked them both in with a line-drive single to right-center, pushing the lead to 3-0. Danilo Perdomo later hit an RBI single for Mercer's fourth run, and then an error on a fielder's choice from Brayden Meskill plated one more for a 5-0 Viking lead. Jake Kmiec then singled to third, bringing in Perdomo for a 6-0 score. A wild pitch brought in one more, leaving the Vikings up, 7-0, after their first at-bat.
 
The Mustangs started to work their way back in the bottom of the fourth. After Jaison Andujar was hit by a pitch, Nathaniel Alvarez beat out a slow roller to get two runners on. Luis Villalba then ripped a single down the left-field line, scoring Andujar to get the Mustangs on the board. Angel De La Cruz then sent a long fly ball to the gap in right-center for a two-RBI double, leaving the Mustangs down by four at 7-3.
 
Monroe chipped away again in the fifth. Pedro Crespo led off with a single to right, and then moved to second on a groundout. Salix Felix then singled him in on a line drive to right-center, getting the Mustangs closer at 7-4.
 
After four scoreless innings, the Vikings added to their lead in the top of the sixth. Kmiec and Delgado both walked, and then an error during a fielder's choice allowed Delgado to score. Ervolina then singled in Steen, and Bruno later plated Ervolina on a sacrifice fly to center to make it a 10-4 lead for the visitors.
 
After loading the bases in the seventh, Steen drew a walk, and then Gavin Neal was hit by a pitch, pushing Mercer County's lead to 12-4.
 
The Mustangs extended the game with a pair of runs in the home half of the seventh. After walks by Andres Castro and Felix, Andujar singled in Castro to make it a 12-5 game. Alvarez then plated Felix with a sacrifice fly to left, bringing the score to 12-6.
 
Monroe loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth, but the next two batters struck out. Salinas then drew a walk, bringing in a run to make it a 12-7 game, but that was unfortunately all the Mustangs could muster up in the final frame.
 
In a bullpen day for the Vikings, Charles Kelley picked up the win after going two innings in the start without allowing a run, improving to 3-1. Pedro Duran took the loss for Monroe despite rebounding for four straight strong innings after Mercer County's big first. Angel Aviles tossed the last two innings for Monroe, allowing just one hit without a run.
 
Alvarez hit a perfect 4-for-4 in the game with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Felix finished 1-for-2 with two runs, an RBI and three walks. De La Cruz went 1-for-5 with a two-RBI double. Salinas batted 1-for-3 with an RBI. Toribio doubled in a 2-for-6 outing. Crespo scored a run after hitting 2-for-4. Villalba plated a run and scored once himself in a 1-for-5 effort. Andujar went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
 
It's playoff time in New Rochelle, as the Mustangs host this coming week's NJCAA Division I Region 15 Championship series against ASA College (NYC) at Dick Caswell Field. The best-of-three series begins with Game 1 on Wednesday, May 4, at 12 p.m. Game 2 will take place on Thursday, May 5, at 3 p.m. If necessary, Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, May 6, at 11 a.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