VINELAND, N.J., March 29, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team struck early and often on Wednesday in a rematch from Tuesday's thrilling victory over Rowan College South Jersey-Cumberland. Playing on the Dukes' home field this time around, the Mustangs totaled 15 hits in a 13-7 victory over the Dukes to run Monroe's winning streak to 12 games. The Mustangs improve to 15-9 overall with the win, while the Dukes drop to 7-9.
 
The Mustangs caught a break to get things going in the first on Thursday. Andres Castro led off the game with a single, and then Jeremy De La Mota later drew a walk with one out. After a wild pitch moved both into scoring position, an error on a grounder by Matthew Franco allowed Castro to score for the first run of the game. Jordy Batista then singled into left, eventually bringing in both runners for a 3-0 lead before Batista was later thrown out at second to end the inning.
 
The Mustangs struck again in the second, starting with a leadoff single by Pedro Crespo. A failed pickoff attempt moved Crespo up to second, and then a flyout to center by Yosmil Diaz advanced Crespo to third after he tagged up. Gilbert Gomez then bunted toward first, resulting in a single and Crespo coming home to score and push Monroe's lead to 4-0.
 
The Dukes got on the board in the home half of the second. James Hallman led off with a walk, and then Jimmy Kurtz singled to right. The Mustangs turned a double play on Connor Bane, but Hallman advanced to third on the play. David Appolonia then hit a high, slow chopper toward third, but nobody was able to make a play on it, resulting in an RBI single that made it a 4-1 game.
 
Monroe made it three straight innings with a run in the third. Franco walked to open the frame, and then Batista singled to left. A fielder's choice left runners on the corners with one out, but Diaz walked to load the bases. With two down, a wild pitch brought Franco home to make it a 5-1 lead for Monroe.
 
In the bottom of the third, after the Mustangs cleared the bases with another double play, Joe Gizinski homered over the fence in left-center to bring the score to 5-2.
 
Cumberland cut into the deficit again in the fourth. Hallman doubled to lead off the frame, and then moved to third on a groundout by Jimmy Kurtz. A passed ball then allowed him to score, bringing the score to 5-3.
 
The Mustangs struck again in the top of the sixth. After Diego Urreta drew a one-out base-on-balls, De La Mota blasted a two-run homer over the wall in left-center to give Monroe a 7-3 advantage on the Dukes. Franco hit a two-out double down the left-field line to keep the inning going, and then Batista singled to center, bringing Franco home for an 8-3 Mustang lead.
 
The Dukes were helped out in the bottom of the sixth. With the bases loaded and two outs, a wild pitch brought in Ben Maiers to bring the score to 8-4.
 
Diaz led off the seventh for Monroe with a single up the middle, and then advanced to second on a wild pitch. Gilbert Gomez then singled toward second, leaving runners on the corners with nobody out. Castro hit a grounder to the pitcher, but Diaz got caught in a pickle and was eventually tagged out. After that play left runners on second and third for Monroe, Urreta knocked them both in with a single to left to make it a 10-4 lead for the Mustangs.
 
The Dukes once again struck back in the seventh. Christian Rinick led off with a walk, and then stole second base. With one out, Maiers doubled down the left-field line, plating Rinick to bring the home team within five.
 
Monroe picked up a little more insurance in the top of the ninth. Urreta and De La Mota hit back-to-back singles with one out, and then a passed ball moved them both into scoring position. A wild pitch then sent Urreta home for an 11-5 lead. Pedro Vasquez then came in to pinch hit and came through with a single up the middle, plating De La Mota to give the Mustangs a seven-run advantage. Franco was hit by a pitch, and then a wild pitch advanced both runners. Batista then grounded out to second, but it was deep enough to bring Vasquez home and leave the Mustangs up, 13-5.
 
The Dukes tried their best to stay alive in the ninth. Gizinski struck out with one away, but a wild pitch on strike three allowed him to reach first. A passed ball put him on second, and then a hard liner by Maiers off the pitcher's leg gave him a single and left runners on the corners for the Dukes. With two down, Kurtz singled down the right-field line to bring in Gizinski for a 13-6 score. Bane followed with a single into left to bring Maiers home and make it a 13-7 game, but that was the last run of the game for the Dukes as the Mustangs held on to win by six.
 
Samuel Herrera got the job done on the mound on Wednesday, going six frames and allowing just three earned runs with five strikeouts to pick up his second win of the season. Cumberland starter Jack Liberio drops to 0-4 after yielding eight runs (five earned) across 5.2 innings.
 
Batista finished 3-for-5 with four RBIs in the win. De La Mota launched his second home run of the season in a 2-for-4 outing, finishing with three runs scored and two RBIs. Urreta knocked in two and scored twice himself after hitting 2-for-3 while also drawing three walks. Franco scored three runs after going 1-for-3 with a double. Gomez plated a run and scored one as well in a 2-for-5 effort. Diaz hit 2-for-3 and drew a pair of walks.
 
The Mustangs take to the road this Friday, March 31, when they visit Hagerstown Community College for a doubleheader with the East District foe out of Region 20. Game 1 between the Mustangs and Hawks is set for 1 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