EUNICE, La., February 8, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team started its traditional season-opening trip to NJCAA Div. II No. 2 LSU-Eunice a bit early with Thursday's matchup quickly coming together late on Wednesday, but the regular-season debut for the Mustangs proved to be an exciting one, A high-scoring affair saw the Mustangs and Bengals battle until the end, but the home team managed to finish on top with LSU-Eunice picking up a 12-7 decision over the Mustangs at Bengal Stadium.
 
Thursday night's contest went scoreless for the first two and a half innings, but the Bengals broke the tie in the bottom of the third. Dawson Willis got on with a bunt single with one out to get things going for the home team. He then stole second, and advanced to third when the throw back to the pitcher went high. Tyson LeBlanc then hit a line drive to center, deep enough for a sacrifice fly to bring Willis home and give LSU-Eunice a 1-0 lead.
 
The Mustangs remained hitless through the top of the fourth, allowing the Bengals to take advantage with another couple of runs in the home half of the inning. With one out, Tanner Vadnais and Evan Joubert drew back-to-back walks. A wild pitch put Vadnais on third, and then a bunt single by Bennett Clement brought him home to double the lead. Andrew Lee then singled to left to bring Joubert home, leaving the Bengals up, 3-0.
 
Jeremy De La Mota ended the no-hitter with a single to left to lead off the top of the fifth. Anthony Fernandez then reached on an error to get things in motion for Monroe. Pedro Vasquez ripped a double to left-center, plating De La Mota from second to get the Mustangs on the board. Jose Fernandez then grounded out to third, but it was deep enough to bring Anthony Fernandez home and cut the deficit to 3-2.
 
After keeping the Bengals off the board in the bottom of the fifth, Monroe struck again in the sixth to jump into the lead. Eli Gries-Smith singled to right, and then Diego Urreta did the same to get two runners on. Ronald Almanzar hit a slicing liner toward short that bounced away from the shortstop, allowing Gries-Smith to come home and tie the game. With one down, Anthony Fernandez singled to left to plate Urreta and put the Mustangs on top. Vasquez followed with a single into right, but Almanzar was thrown out at the dish for the second out. Jose Fernandez kept things going with a single up the middle, leaving Monroe ahead, 5-3.
 
Monroe then turned to the bullpen and the game took an unfortunate turn. After a groundout to start the inning immediately got the Mustangs the first out of the sixth, the Bengals produced six straight base hits, including a two-RBI triple by Willis and an RBI double by Weston Fulk, totaling six runs after a sacrifice fly capped off the scoring for the inning, leaving the Bengals ahead, 9-5.
 
The Mustangs showed no quit after the big inning for the Bengals. With one out in the seventh, Gries-Smith singled into left. Urreta then drew a walk, and then both runners moved into scoring position with two outs on a groundout by Almanzar. On the fifth pitch of De La Mota's at bat, Gries-Smith took off and managed to steal home, making it a three-run game. De La Mota drew a walk to put runners on the corners, and then Anthony Fernandez singled toward short to bring Urreta home and leave the Mustangs within a pair at 9-7.
 
An error and a pair of singles allowed LSU-Eunice to load the bases without an out in the eighth. A pair of walks brought in two runs, and then a Reese Ashworth flyout to center brought in a run on a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 12-7. The Mustangs were unfortunately unable to work their way back into the game in their final at-bat, falling to the still unbeaten Bengals by five runs.
 
Reliever Liam Watt picked up the win for the Bengals after being on the mound when they took the lead back from Monroe, improving his record to 1-0. Ommy Velez took the loss in relief for Monroe to start his season 0-1. Frangel Rodriguez turned in a valiant start, allowing just two earned runs across five frames with seven strikeouts, but he did not factor into the decision.
 
Anthony Fernandez had a big night, batting 2-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored in the game. Gries-Smith finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored, including a steal of home. De La Mota hit 2-for-4 with a run scored and a stolen base. Vasquez had Monroe's only multi-base hit in the game, going 2-for-5 with an RBI double. Urreta scored twice and stole a base in a 1-for-4 effort. Jose Fernandez plated two runs after hitting 1-for-5. Almanzar knocked in a run in his 1-for-5 outing.
 
The Mustangs and Bengals are set to continue their series on Friday, Feb. 9. As of now, Friday's contest is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET, though questionable weather for the remainder of the weekend has that game and the rest of the series in flux. Check the Monroe Mustangs social media pages and MonroeCollegeMustangs.com for the latest updates on the series.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 28 teams competing across nine sports. There are 20 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well the Monroe College marching band, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has seven 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