NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 10, 2024 – Both games in Sunday's rainy and windy doubleheader at Flowers Park between the Monroe College Mustangs softball team and NJCAA Div. III No. 2 Corning Community College were decided by one run on Sunday. The Mustangs came back late to defeat the Red Barons in Game 1, 5-4, but a near-epic run in Game 2 fell just short in a 17-16 loss.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 5, Corning 4
The Mustangs fell behind in the top of the second in Game 1 when the Red Barons brought in two runs on a leadoff triple by Brianna Hardwick, followed by a walk, a wild pitch, and a ground out. Corning then doubled its lead in the top of the third after a couple of errors led to a pair of unearned runs coming home, making it a 4-0 lead for the visitors after three.
 
The Mustangs back to work their way back in the fourth. Angie Ordonez reached on an error to lead off the inning that put her on second base. A wild pitch then brought her to third. Marissa Thalassinos followed with a walk which led to the Mustangs attempting a successful double steal, bringing Ordonez home to make it a 4-1 ballgame.
 
Nathalie Mongrain and Aisling Wilson were both on base with one out after each drew a walk in the fifth. Kayla Suleski then singled into right, bringing Mongrain home to make it a two-run deficit.
 
The Mustangs made their big rally in the bottom of the sixth. Amber Miltenberg smacked a triple to left to lead off the inning. Georgia Burr drew a walk, but then a ground ball by Mongrain led to Miltenberg being thrown out at home for the second out of the inning. That was no matter for the Mustangs, as Veronika Anderson followed with a long fly ball over the center fielder, good for an inside-the-park three-run homer that put the Mustangs in the lead for good, 5-4.
 
Sarah Wall played a big part in limiting the damage in Game 1, allowing just two earned runs on two hits with 11 strikeouts over the complete seven innings to earn her fourth win of the season. Jenna Plue had a strong start to Sunday's opener for Corning, but was unable to hang onto the lead to take her third loss of the year.
 
Anderson finished 1-for-3 with her first home run of the season and three RBIs in the win. Miltenberg batted 1-for-2 with a triple. Suleski hit 1-for-4 with an RBI. Ordonez went 0-for-2 in the game, but was on base consistently to contribute a pair of stolen bases and a run.
 
GAME 2: Corning 17, Monroe 16
The bats came alive for the visitors in Game 2. With a runner on third and two outs in the first, Plue singled up the middle to give the Red Barons a quick lead. Teona Cruz then followed with a two-run inside-the-park home run to leave Corning up, 3-0.
 
The Mustangs brought in their first run of the game in the bottom of the second. With Judaiah Gourdine on second after pinch running for Nadyelly Bones, Wilson hit an RBI single to left to bring her home and make it a 3-1 game.
 
Corning broke the game open in the third with a big rally. The Red Barons strung together six hits and took advantage of four walks to bring seven runs across, taking a commanding 10-1 advantage over the Mustangs.
 
Despite the large deficit, the Mustangs and Red Barons kept the game interesting from the fourth inning on in Game 2. In the home half of the fourth, Wilson ripped a two-run inside-the-park homer to the gap in left-center to make it a 10-3 game. The Barons then got one of those runs back on an RBI single by Maliyah McIver in the top of the fifth to go back up, 11-3, threatening the Mustangs with a run-rule finish.
 
Monroe responded quickly in the bottom of the fifth. Ordonez drew a walk, and then Thalassinos launched her third home run of the season over the right fielder to make it an 11-5 score.
 
The Red Barons struck again in the sixth. A single by Brianna Greenlaw with an error in the outfield turned into an immediate run for the visitors. Plue then homered to the gap in right-center to put the Red Barons up once again by eight runs.
 
The Mustangs escaped a run-rule finish again in the sixth. Wilson singled with one out. Gabrielle Gonzalez then hit a grounder to third that was thrown into the outfield trying to get Wilson at second. The right field then slipped trying to play the ball, allowing both runners to come home to get Monroe within six. With two down and Ordonez on base after a walk, Thalassinos doubled into center to bring her home and make it a 13-8 game.
 
Corning did all it could in the top of the seventh to put the game out of reach with the weather turning into a downpour. Three hits with some walks and wild pitches brought in a total of four runs for the Red Barons, leaving them up, 17-8, heading to the bottom of the seventh.
 
Monroe's first two batters did not reach base in the seventh, leaving them one out away from a nine-run loss. Mongrain kept the game going with a walk, and then Wilson sent her second inside-the-park home run of the game into the gap in left-center, cutting the difference to seven runs. Gonzalez walked and stole second base, coming home on a Suleski single to get within six. Ordonez and Thalassinos both walked to load the bases, and then Miltenberg made it three straight walks to bring in a run. A wild pitch brought Ordonez home to make it a four-run game. Anderson walked to load the bases again, and then Gabriella Diaz walked to make it a 17-14 game. Mongrain drew the fifth straight walk to get the Mustangs within two runs of tying the game. With Wilson coming up and the winning run run on first, the Red Barons went back to their Game 1 starter, Plue, to try and close out the game. An immediate wild pitch brought in Anderson to make it a one-run game. Unfortunately, Plue was able to finish the job and get the final out, leaving the Mustangs a run short of tying the game at 17-16.
 
Bones shouldered the loss for Monroe in Game 2. Sydney Tanner picked up her first win of the season, while Plue earned her first save.
 
Wilson had a huge Game 2 for the Mustangs, totaling five RBIs and three runs after going 4-for-5 with two home runs, bringing her total to a team-best four on the season. Thalassinos batted 2-for-3 with her third homer of the year, a double, three RBIs and two runs scored. Mongrain went 1-for-2 with two runs, an RBI and a pair of walks. Gonzalez hit 1-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases. Suleski scored once and brought in a run in a 1-for-4 effort, swiping a pair of bases as well. Ordonez walked three times in Game 2 and scored three runs as a result.
 
The Mustangs go back on the road for the next couple of weeks, beginning with a doubleheader at Harford Community College this Tuesday, March 12, in Bel Air, Md. Tuesday's first game is set to begin at 3 p.m.
 
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 (@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs). Read Full Article