NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 18, 2023 – Andrelis Payamps and Carlos Peguero shined on the hill for the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team, fueling the Mustangs to a doubleheader sweep of Lackawanna College on Saturday at Dick Caswell Field. Payamps was terrific in Game 1 to lead Monroe to a 5-2 victory over the Falcons before Peguero took a no-hitter into the sixth in an 8-1 win in Game 2. The Mustangs have now won eight straight games to improve their record to 11-9 overall, while the Falcons drop to 7-9 with the losses.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 5, Lackawanna 2
The Falcons struck first in Game 1. Eric Ludwick led off with a grounder to third that was bobbled for an error. Ian Murphy then hit a hard grounder straight down the right-field line for a double that put both runners in scoring position. Christian Rush followed with a single through the left side, plating Ludwick to give the visitors a 1-0 lead. With one out, Michael Rickert brought in another run with a ground ball to second to put Lackawanna up by two.
 
The Mustangs struck back in the bottom of the second. Jordy Batista walked to open the frame, and then Matthew Franco was hit by a pitch. Pedro Crespo then lined a single into center, plating Batista from second to cut the deficit in half. With one down, Gilbert Gomez singled to center to load the bases. Then with two outs, Diego Urreta was hit by a pitch, plating Franco to tie the game at 2-2. Jeremy De La Mota followed with a walk, putting the Mustangs ahead, 3-2, after Crespo came home.
 
Monroe added to the lead in the fifth. Urreta and De La Mota drew back-to-back walks to start things off. Ronald Almanzar then singled over the shortstop to play Urreta for a 4-2 lead. Jordy Batista then grounded out to second, but it was deep enough to bring in De La Mota from third to push the lead to 5-2.
 
Payamps went six frames for the Mustangs, striking out nine batters while allowing just one earned run on three hits to earn the win and improve to 3-3. Brailin Duran came on with two on and nobody out in the seventh, but got his first batter to hit into a double play before getting the game-ending strikeout two batters later for his second save of the season. Kyle Scott took the loss for Lackawanna to fall to 2-2.
 
Batista hit 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored in the win. Crespo went 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Andres Castro batted 2-for-4 in Game 1. Almanzar knocked in a run in a 1-fr-3 game. Urreta and De La Mota both finished 0-for-1, but both plated a run while scoring once each themselves. Gilbert Gomez went 1-for-3.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 8, Lackawanna 1
The Mustangs got on the board quickly in Game 2. Urreta walked with one out in the first and then moved up to second on a wild pitch. De La Mota then singled him in with a line drive through the left side for a swift 1-0 edge.
 
The Mustangs struck again in the second. Franco led off with a single into center, and then he stole second. Gomez then hit a long line drive over the right fielder for an RBI triple, bringing in Franco to make it a 2-0 game. Yosmil Diaz then hit a long fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly to score Gomez and put Monroe ahead by three.
 
De La Mota led off the third with a bang, launching a home run over the fence in left-center to make it a 4-0 lead for Monroe.
 
The Mustangs made it four straight innings with a run in the fourth. With two outs, Castro hit a long fly ball down the left field line that was dropped by the left fielder, putting him on second base. Urreta took advantage with a double to right-center, scoring Castro for a 5-0 lead.
 
After going scoreless in the fifth, the Mustangs got back on track in the sixth. Diaz was hit by a pitch to get things going. Brian Cruz pinch hit with one out and hit a single into right. Urreta then dropped a single just in front of the right fielder, bringing Diaz home from second to make it a 6-0 game. A couple wild pitches then brought in Cruz to push the lead to 7-0. Trevor Dutra drew a walk as a pinch hitter, and then Pedro Vasquez drew another to bring in Monroe's eighth run.
 
Peguero had not allowed a hit heading into the seventh inning. He struck out the first batter of the inning before Ian Murphy reached on an error, and then moved up to second on a wild pitch. Brayden D'Amico then ended the no-hitter with a single through the right side, bringing in Murphy for Lackawanna's only run of the game. Peguero got the next two batters out on a strikeout and a groundout to end the game.
 
Peguero went the complete seven frames, allowing just one unearned run on one hit with a season-high 12 strikeouts in the win. Aiden Starn took the loss for the Falcons to drop to 2-2.
 
De La Mota batted 2-for-3 with a solo homer, two RBI and a run in the Game 2 victory. Urreta hit 2-for-3 with a double, two RBIs and two runs scored in the win. Franco went 2-for-4 with a run scored. Gomez finished 1-for-3 with a triple, an RBI and a run. Almanzar doubled in a 1-for-3 outing. Diaz did not register a hit in the game, but still managed to bring in a run and score once himself.
 
Monroe's games scheduled for Sunday have been postponed, and the Mustangs have found a new opponent for Monday, March 20, in Citius Prep. First pitch on Monday is set for 3:30 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 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