KEYSER, W.V., May 7, 2023 – Saturday evening's elimination game between the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team and WVU Potomac State College was as dramatic as they come, but the drama had to be paused until Sunday due to darkness. When things picked up Sunday morning, the Catamounts quickly got on the board, eventually holding on to beat the Mustangs, 10-9, to eliminate Monroe from the tournament. Potomac State advances to take on Harford Community College, while both of the final two teams now qualify for the East District Championship tournament.
 
ELIMINATION GAME: Potomac State 10, Monroe 9 (12 INN)
The Catamounts got a quick jump on the Mustangs in the top of the second. With runners on first and third, Sammy Bradfield hit an RBI single to put Potomac State on top. With the bases loaded and one away, Brady Whitacre hit a sacrifice fly to give the Catamounts a 2-0 edge.
 
Potomac State added to its lead in the top of the third. With two on, Nik Rubendall doubled to clear the bases and make it a 4-0 game. Two batters later, Kris Sutton doubled in Rubendall to push the lead to 5-0.
 
The Mustangs then chipped away at the deficit in the home half of the third. Diaz, Crespo and Gomez hit three straight singles to open the frame and bring in Monroe's first run. A groundout by Urreta moved two runners into scoring position, and then a sacrifice fly by Almanzar plated Crespo to get within three. Franco followed with an RBI single to bring Gomez home and leave the Mustangs within two at 5-3.
 
The Catamounts expanded their lead in the top of the fifth. Morgan Little led off with a double, and then Chance Satcho doubled with two outs to bring Little home and make it a 6-3 lead for Potomac State.
 
With two outs in the top of the eighth, Jimmy Sadler kept the inning alive with a single. Rubendall then doubled him in to make it a 7-3 score. Little then hit a two-run homer, giving the Catamounts a 9-3 advantage late in the game.
 
The Mustangs once again began to work their way back in the bottom of the eighth. Almanzar walked with one out, and then Franco doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Jeremy De La Mota followed with another double to clear the bases and make it a 9-5 game. With two down, Jordy Batista singled in De La Mota to bring the score to 9-6.
 
Gomez led off the ninth for Monroe with a double to immediately start the threat for the Mustangs. Urreta drew a walk, and then Almanzar doubled them both in to get within a run. A grounder back to the pitcher by Franco was then thrown away, allowing Almanzar to score and tie the game at 9-9, but the Mustangs were unable to bring in Franco after that, sending the game to extra innings.
 
The Catamounts had an opportunity to take the lead in the 10th after loading the bases via hit-by-pitch, dropped third strike and an error, but the Mustangs were able to keep them off the board. They loaded the bases with two outs again in the 11th before the final batter of the inning struck out. The Mustangs had two on in the home half of the 11th after a leadoff single by Urreta and a two-out hit-by-pitch by De La Mota, but they were also unable to break the tie. After the final out of the 11th, the umpires and coaches determined it was too dark to continue, suspending the game until Sunday.
 
When things picked up again Sunday morning, Bradfield led off with a single for the Catamounts in the top of the 12th. Two batters later, Whitacre doubled deep to left-center, bringing Bradfield all the way around to score, leaving the Catamounts up, 10-9. The Mustangs were unable to get things going in the home half of the 12th, falling to the Catamounts quickly on Sunday morning.
 
Diego Barrett picked up the win for the Catamounts after tossing the final 3.1 frames on Saturday. Taylor Henshaw came on in the 12th on Sunday and earned the save. Carlos Peguero returned after his no-hitter on Saturday to try and help the Mustangs get another win, but despite the gutsy decision, he took the loss after yielding the winning run in the 12th, falling to 5-3 on the season.
 
Almanzar batted 1-for-3 with three RBIs, two runs and a double in the elimination game. Gomez went 2-for-7 with two runs, an RBI and a double. Crespo finished 2-for-6 with a run scored. Franco went 2-for-5 with a double, a run and an RBI. De La Mota doubled, knocked in two runs and scored once in a 1-for-5 effort. Diaz went 1-for-3 with a run in the game. Urreta scored a run after hitting 1-for-5. Andres Castro turned in a 1-for-5 outing.
 
The loss Sunday morning eliminated the Mustangs from the Region 20 Championship, effectively ending Monroe's 2023 campaign. The Mustangs finish the year with a 27-17 overall record, a noticeable improvement after going 24-29 overall in 2022.  
 
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