LINCOLNTON, N.C., February 3, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team got its first taste of action for the 2024 campaign on Saturday, splitting an exhibition doubleheader at Combine Academy to open the new season. Monroe dropped a 9-4 final in Game 1 before bouncing back for an 8-7 win in Saturday's finale.
 
GAME 1: Combine Academy 9, Monroe 4
The Mustangs fell behind early in the bottom of the first. Combine's Langston Rupert led off with a single into right field. He stole second with one out, and then later came to third on a wild pitch. One more wild pitch with two outs sent him home, giving the Goats a 1-0 lead.
 
Combine took control of the game in the bottom of the fourth. After a leadoff double by Jaden Knight, Miles Shore hit a two-run homer to make it a 3-0 ballgame. With two outs in the inning, a dropped fly ball with a runner on third allowed the Goats to take a 4-0 lead. Xavier Worden then singled in one more run, leaving the home team up, 5-0.
 
The Mustangs got on the board for the first time in the top of the fifth. Eli Gries-Smith beat out a one-out single to third, and then Diego Urreta singled into left to put runners on the corners. Urreta moved up to second on a wild pitch, and then an infield single by Ronald Almanzar plated Gries-Smith for Monroe's first run. Jeremy De La Mota then hit a sacrifice fly to center to bring Urreta home and bring the score to 5-2.
 
The Goats negated Monroe's runs in the home half of the fifth, starting with Shore's second two-run homer in as many innings. With two outs, Elias Hicks singled in one more run, but was thrown out trying to take second on the play, leaving the Goats up, 8-2.
 
Combine added to its lead in the bottom of the sixth. With runners on first and third, a dropped pickoff at first allowed the runner from third to score to make it a 9-2 score.
 
In the top of the eighth, the Mustangs brought a couple more runs across. Pedro Vasquez was hit by a pitch, and then Justin Peguero doubled with two outs to put runners on second and third. A single up the middle by Gilbert Gomez brought in Peguero, and an errant throw to first allowed Vasquez to come home, leaving the score at 9-4, which proved to be the final score of Game 1.
 
Hunter Chambers went four scoreless innings for Combine, but Tom Moore picked up the win after taking over in the fifth. Samuel Herrera got the start for the Mustangs, allowing four earned runs across five frames with six strikeouts to take the loss. Marcos Santiago tossed Monroe's final three innings, allowing no earned runs on two hits with three strikeouts.
 
Almanzar finished 2-for-5 with an RBI. Gries-Smith batted 2-for-3 with a run scored and a pair of walks. Peguero hit 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Anthony Fernandez went 1-for-3 with two walks, while Urreta scored a run after going 1-for-4. Gomez knocked in a run in a 1-for-4 outing.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 8, Combine Academy 7 (5 INN)
Game 2 got off to a much better for the Mustangs, beginning with Gries-Smith coming home when Almanzar reached on an error to give Monroe a quick 1-0 advantage. However, the Goats got one back in the bottom of the second on a Monroe error, tying the game at 1-1.
 
The Mustangs had their biggest inning of the day in the top of the third. Urreta was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, and then De La Mota blasted his first homer of the year to left to put the Mustang back on top, 3-1. Almanzar followed with a single, and then ended up on third after a pair of wild pitches. Peguero was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners, and then a groundout to second by Gomez brought in Almanzar for a 4-1 edge. Later, another pair of wild pitches brought Peguero home to leave the Mustangs up, 5-1.
 
The Goats came storming back in the home half of the third. Langston Rupert led off the inning with a homer to make it a 5-2 game. Filip Kubicek later hit an RBI double to score Shore and cut the deficit to two. A wild pitch moved Kubicek to third, and then an errant throw allowed him to score and make it a one-run game. Isaiah Abrams then hit a two-run homer, leaving the Goats in the lead, 6-5.
 
Gries-Smith walked to open the fourth, advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then moved over to third on a balk. After a Urreta walk, De La Mota singled in Gries-Smith to tie the game at 6-6.
 
Monroe jumped ahead for good in the top of the fifth. Gomez walked and ended up on third after a balk and a failed pickoff. With one out, Fraelyn Rosario Peña dropped a single into center, bringing Gomez home to give the Mustangs the lead once again. With two outs and runners on the corner, a wild pitch brought Peña home, making in an 8-6 ballgame in favor of Monroe.
 
The Goats threatened Monroe's lead again in the home half of the fifth. With two outs, Markus Kirksey doubled in a run to make it a one-run game, but the Mustangs were able to get one more out and hang onto the lead. Saturday's finale was then called due to darkness, giving the Mustangs the 8-7 win.
 
Emmanuel Ramos got the win in relief for the Mustangs after yielding two runs in 2.1 frames. Isaias Moreno gave up five runs in three innings in the start for Combine to take the loss.
 
De La Mota finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs, a run and a home run in the win. Gomez did not register a hit, but still managed to bring in a run, score another and draw two walks. Peña went 1-for-2 with a run and an RBI. Almanzar hit 1-for-3 with a run scored in the game. Gries-Smith showed great patience at the plate to draw three walks in the game, scoring twice as a result.
 
The Mustangs will play two more exhibitions at Combine Academy against its "Global" roster on Sunday, Feb. 4. The doubleheader will begin with Game 1 at 12 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).
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