NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 3, 2023 – The Monroe College Mustangs softball team closed out its week with a high-scoring doubleheader at Flowers Park against Lackawanna College on Sunday. The Mustangs picked up a 7-1 victory in Game 1, but the Falcons came out on top in a back-and-forth Game 2, taking home a 10-9 win over the Mustangs. Monroe moves to 11-18 overall on the season with the split, while the Falcons go to 11-6.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 7, Lackawanna 1
The Mustangs got off to a quick start in Sunday's opener. Mya Jack led off the first with a single and then stole second base. She moved to third on a groundout to the pitcher, and then a single by Paola Calderon brought Jack home for an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Falcons tied the game up in the second after a miscue by the Mustangs. With two outs and runners on first and second, Madison Maloney reached on an error to bring in Krista Scoblick to knot things up at 1-1.
 
The Mustangs jumped right back ahead in the home half of the second. Marissa Thalassinos hit a one-out single, followed by another single from Ashleigh Stewart. Jack walked to load the bases, and then a groundout by Genesis Duarte-Suarez brought Thalassinos home to make it a 2-1 game.
 
Monroe began to pull away in the fourth. Juliana Vasquez led off with a triple to center, scoring on an errant throw by the center fielder to make it a 3-1 score. Jack kept the inning alive with a two-out single. After she stole second, Duarte-Suarez single to right-center to bring her in for a 4-1 lead. Calderon then singled in Duarte-Suarez to push the lead to 5-1.
 
Cinthia Ramirez led off the fifth with an inside-the-park homer to left to give Monroe a 6-1 advantage. Thalassinos hit a one-out triple to left-center, and then came home on a groundout by Stewart to reach the eventual final score of 7-1.
 
Sarah Wall was terrific in Game 1, going all seven innings without allowing an earned run on three hits and striking out 10 batters to pick up her eighth win of the season. Allyson Lemerise suffered the loss for Lackawanna.
 
Every Mustang in the lineup had a hit in Game 1. Calderon finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs in the win. Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a solo homer. Thalassinos scored twice after going 2-for-3 with a triple. Vasquez also tripled and scored a run in a 1-for-4 outing. Duarte-Suarez finished 1-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored. Jack went 2-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases. Stewart knocked in a run in a 1-for-3 effort. Angie Ordonez hit 1-for-3, while Thanysha Gil batted 1-for-4.
 
GAME 2: Lackawanna 10, Monroe 9
The Mustangs got another early jump on the Falcons in Game 2. Duarte-Suarez hit a one-out single in the first, and then moved to second on a groundout by Calderon. Ordonez then singled her in to make it a quick 1-0 lead for Monroe. Ramirez kept things going with a walk, and then Zoe Rivera cleared the bases with a triple, leaving Monroe on top, 3-0.
 
The Falcons battled back in the second. With a runner on second after an error, Savannah Glover reached on another error to bring in a run and cut the deficit to two. Sophia Mandarano then doubled in Glover to get the Falcons within a run.
 
The Mustangs negated Lackawanna's second-inning rally in the home half of the second. Stewart led off with a solo inside-the-park to make it a 4-2 game. Jack then hit a one-out single, and then Duarte-Suarez reached on an error that brought in Jack to leave the Mustangs ahead, 5-2.
 
The Falcons put together a big fourth frame to take over the lead in Game 2. With a runner on first, Aria Reyes doubled to put runners on second and third, and then Glover hit another double to bring in two runs and make it a 5-4 game. Mandarano followed with an RBI double to tie the game at 5-5. After she stole third, Alivia Graber reached on an error, bringing in Mandarano to put the Falcons in the lead. Maloney followed with a single, and then Kira Ryan was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Gabby Wettig then singled in two more runs to leave the visitors on top, 8-5.
 
The Mustangs bounced right back in their next at-bat. Stewart and Ashley Ulmschneider hit back-to-back singles to open the fourth. Jack then sacrificed them both into scoring position. Duarte-Suarez followed with a bases-clearing double to get the Mustangs back within a run. She moved to third on a wild pitch, and then Calderon singled her in to tie the game at 8-8 after four.
 
Monroe took the lead back in the bottom of the fifth. Thalassinos hit a one-out single to center, and advanced to second on an error. After stealing third, Ulmscheider reached on an error that plated Thalassinos to put the Mustangs ahead, 9-8.
 
The Falcons bounced right back in the top of the sixth. With one out, Gwen Balavage hit a pinch-hit triple. With two outs, Ryan knocked her in with a single to right, tying the game at 9-9.
 
Lackawanna then took the lead for good in the top of the seventh. Madison McVicar led off the inning with a solo inside-the-park homer to left, which proved to be the game-winning hit after it gave the Falcons a 10-9 lead in the final frame.
 
Graber earned the win for Lackawanna after going all seven frames, allowing nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits. Wall took an unfortunate loss for the Mustangs after coming on in the seventh.
 
Stewart finished 2-for-3 with a home run, two runs and an RBI in Game 2. Duarte-Suarez batted 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBIs and a two-bagger. Rivera hit 1-for-2 with a two-RBI triple. Ordonez went 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run. Jack and Ulmschneider each went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Calderon knocked in a run in a 1-for-4 outing, while Thalassinos went 1-for-4 with a run scored.
 
The Mustangs take to the road on Tuesday, April 4, when they visit Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, N.Y. Game 1 is set to begin at 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