HOUSTON, Texas, February 19, 2023 – After picking up their first-ever victory against San Jacinto College on Saturday, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team looked to secure a series split with the No. 6-ranked Ravens on Sunday. The Mustangs led early on, but a big fifth-inning rally by the home team proved too much to overcome, as San Jacinto picked up a 10-7 win over the Mustangs.
 
For the second straight game, the Mustangs managed to grab the early lead on the Ravens. In the top of the second, Jordy Batista led off with a single, and then Jeremy De La Mota was hit by a pitch. With one out, Andres Castro singled on a liner to center, scoring Batista to give Monroe a 1-0 lead. A wild pitch then scored De La Mota from third, and after the same pitch advanced Castro to third, a ground out by Yeremay Moreno brought Castro home to put the Mustangs up, 3-0.
 
In the bottom of the third, San Jac's Jack Hicks led off with a homer to right to get the Ravens on the board. After a pair of singles, the Mustangs got the next two batters out, but a walk and an error allowed two runs to eventually score, tying the game at 3-3.
 
De La Mota led off the fourth with a single to left, and then Ronald Almanzar lined the first pitch he saw into right for an RBI double, putting the Mustangs back on top, 4-3.
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Jose Molina hit a long fly ball down the line in left that was ruled to be just inside the foul pole for a solo homer, tying the game at 4-4 with one out in the inning. Jose Torres followed with a double just short of the wall in center. With two outs, a pinch-hitting Jay Kelley beat out a grounder to short, allowing Torres to advance to third as well. Hicks then hit a slow roller up the middle that allowed him to leg out a single, bringing Torres home to make it a 5-4 lead for the Ravens. A walk loaded the bases for the Ravens, and then Armani Sanchez delivered a two-RBI single to left, pushing the lead to three. Another walk once again loaded the bases for the Ravens, and then MJ Rodriguez singled to center, plating two more runs to leave San Jac up, 9-4, after the fifth.
 
The Mustangs did not let a bad inning keep them down. With one out in the sixth, Almanzar was hit by a pitch, and then Castro drew a walk. With two down, Gilbert Gomez singled up the middle, plating Almanzar to cut the deficit to four. Pedro Crespo and Diego Urreta both walked, bringing another run home to make it 9-6. A wild pitch brought Gomez home, bringing the Mustangs within two before the final out of the inning.
 
Torres led off the sixth with a triple for the Ravens, and then Keegan Knutson followed with an RBI single to push the score to 10-7.
 
The Mustangs threatened in the seventh. Almanzar was hit by a pitch again with one out, and then Castro drew another walk to bring the tying run to the plate. A pinch-hitting Victor Olmos gave the ball a long ride to right-center, but it was caught just a few feet from the wall, allowing Almanzar to tag up and advance to third. But with two outs, the Ravens got the final batter to strike out and end the game.
 
Maddux Stivey got the win in relief for the Ravens to improve to 1-0 on the season. He was one of seven Ravens to see the hill on Sunday. Augie Mojica came on to record the final two outs and earn his first save of the season. Samuel Herrera took the loss in relief for the Mustangs to fall to 1-1.
 
Urreta finished 2-for-3 with a triple and an RBI in the game. De La Mota scored twice in a 1-for-3 effort. Almanzar batted 1-for-2 with an RBI, a run scored and was hit by a pitch twice. Castro scored twice and knocked in a run in a 1-for-2 effort that also included a pair of walks. Gomez went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run in the game. Batista hit 1-for-4 and scored a run.
 
Sunday's matchup concluded Monroe's season-opening trip down south. The Mustangs return home for a few days before getting back on the road with a trip to Florence, S.C., where they will play both No. 14 Florence-Darlington Technical College and East Georgia State once each on back-to-back days. The weekend begins with a 10 a.m. matchup against Florence-Darlington on Saturday, Feb. 25, before a 12:30 p.m. contest against East Georgia State.
 
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 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 11 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