NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 28, 2023 – Trailing for most of the game on Tuesday, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team worked its way back, leading to Ronald Almanzar's walkoff single in the ninth to give the Mustangs a 6-5 victory over Rowan College South Jersey-Cumberland at Dick Caswell Field. The Mustangs extend their winning streak to 11 games with the win and improve to 14-9, while the Dukes drop to 7-8.
 
Andres Castro led off the first for the Mustangs with a single up the middle. With one out, Jeremy De La Mota singled into the hole on the left side. After a double steal, a wild pitch brought in Castro to give Monroe a 1-0 lead. Ronald Almanzar then singled up the middle, plating De La Mota for a 2-0 lead.
 
David Appolonia drew a one-out walk for the Dukes in the fourth. Adrian Firpo then kept the inning going with a two-out single to third. Christian Rinick then reached on an error to load the bases, and then a walk for Casey Vaughan brought in Appolonia to bring in Cumberland's first run. Ben Maiers then singled up the middle to bring in two runs and put the Dukes up, 3-2. James Hallman then singled to right, plating another two runs to give the visitors a 5-2 edge.
 
Pedro Vasquez led off the seventh for Monroe by beating out a slow chopper to third. Yeremay Moreno drew a walk, and then Gilbert Gomez sacrificed them both into scoring position. A wild pitch allowed Vasquez to score and cut the deficit to four. Castro then grounded out to second, bringing in Moreno to make it a 5-4 ballgame.
 
The Mustangs created a big opportunity for themselves in the bottom of the ninth. Yeremay Moreno led off with a walk, and then Ivan Santos pinch ran for him at first. Gilbert Gomez was hit by a pitch, and then Castro attempted to drop down a sacrifice bunt, but ended up putting it in no-man's land for a single to lead the bases with nobody out. Cumberland's Enzo Descalzi struck the next two batters out, sending Almanzar to the dish in a do-or-die situation. After looking at strike one, Almanzar came through with a hard grounder through the left side, bringing Santos and Gomez home to walk it off with a 6-5 win.
 
Je-andrick Lourens went 3.2 innings in the start for Monroe, but all five runs he allowed were unearned. Jose Luis Monegro had a strong showing in relief, going 4.1 scoreless frames. Jeffrey Peña tossed a clean ninth and picked up his first win of the season as a result. Cumberland reliever Descalzi took the loss after yielding the game-winning hit.
 
Almanzar finished 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the win. Castro batted 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored. Moreno went 1-for-2 with a run and a pair of walks. Vasquez scored once after going 1-for-4. De La Mota also scored a run in a 1-for-5 effort.
 
After a close, exciting matchup on Tuesday, the Mustangs and Dukes will go head-to-head once again tomorrow, March 29, this time on Cumberland's home field in Vineland, N.J. Wednesday's matchup is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch.
 
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