NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 16, 2024 – After celebrating their three graduating sophomores ahead of first pitch, the Monroe College Mustangs softball team split a doubleheader with Lackawanna College on Tuesday at Flowers Park. The Falcons got the better of the Mustangs in Game 1 with a 14-3 run-rule win, but the Mustangs bounced right back with a stellar effort in a 9-0 run-rule victory in Game 2. Monroe moves to 15-23 overall with the split, while Lackawanna goes to 25-12.
 
GAME 1: Lackawanna 14, Monroe 3 (5 INN)
The Falcons got a quick jump on the Mustangs in Game 1. After the first two batters singled, Morgan McVicar hit a three-run homer to right-center to get Lackawanna on the board. Allyson Lemerise singled, and then Paige Pieper doubled to get two runners in scoring position. A ground out by Aria Reyes then brought Lemerise home to leave the Falcons up, 4-0.
 
The Mustangs put together a first-inning rally with two outs. Marissa Thalassinos kept the inning alive with a single up the middle. Amber Miltenberg then hit a long fly ball over the head of the right fielder, allowing her to touch 'em all for a two-run inside-the-park homer, cutting the deficit in half at 4-2.
 
The Falcons fired right back in the second. With runners on second and third, a wild pitch brought Madison Maloney home to make it a 5-2 game. Another wild pitch then brought in Mazzie Musgrave for a 6-2 Lackawanna lead. A bases-loaded walk to Reyes then brought in Lackawanna's seventh run.
 
Lackawanna kept rolling in the top of the third. With a runner on third, Musgrave hit a sacrifice fly to left, bringing in Emmalee Mowery to make it an 8-2 score. After a pair of singles, Lemerise hit a homer to left-center, pushing the lead to 11-2.
 
The Mustangs got back on the board one pitch into the bottom of the third. Thalassinos launched the first pitch she saw to deep right-center for an inside-the-park home run to make it an 11-3 ballgame.
 
Some miscues by the Mustangs allowed the Falcons to extend their lead in the fourth. With one out and a runner on first, a fly ball to right was dropped, allowing the first run to come all the way home. An errant throw home then got away, allowing the batter to score as well and leave the Falcons up, 13-3.
 
Lackawanna padded its lead one more time in the top of the fifth. McVicar led off the inning with a solo homer to right-center, reaching the eventual final score of 14-3.
 
Reyes got the win for the Falcons after throwing all five innings, improving her record to 7-3. Gabriella Diaz took the loss for the Mustangs.
 
Thalassinos hit 2-for-3 with two runs, an RBI and her fourth home run of the season in Game 1. Miltenberg went 1-for-3 with a two-run homer, her second of the season. Kayla Suleski batted 1-for-2, while each of Angie Ordonez, Veronika Anderson and Maricela Colon went 1-for-3 in the game.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 9, Lackawanna 0 (5 INN)
The Mustangs got off to a big start in Game 2. Ordonez got the rally started with a one-out single up the middle. Thalassinos then doubled her in for a quick 1-0 lead. Miltenberg followed with an RBI single to double the lead. With Sarah Wall on third and two down, Colon beat out an infield single to bring Wall home for a 3-0 lead. Nathalie Mongrain then singled to put runners on the corners. Anderson followed with a single into left to bring home Colon to make it a 4-0 game. Aisling Wilson capped off the inning with an RBI double to leave the Mustangs on top, 5-0.
 
The Mustangs got things going again in the second. Ordonez and Thalassinos hit back-to-back singles to open the inning, and then Miltenberg reached on a dropped fly ball in right that brought Ordonez home for Monroe's sixth run of the game. Wall then hit a sacrifice fly to center, bringing Thalassinos home to put Monroe up, 7-0.
 
Anderson and Aisling Wilson both singled to get things going in the third for Monroe. Gabrielle Gonzalez then hit a fly ball to center that was dropped, bringing Anderson home for another run. Ordonez then brought in Wilson with a ground out to short to make it a 9-0 lead for Monroe, leading to the eventual run-rule finish after five frames.
 
Wall was brilliant in Tuesday's Game-2 victory, going all five innings without allowing a run. She struck out 10 batters the day after a 14-strikeout performance and yielded just two hits without a walk to earn her eighth win of the season. Jillian Heimberger gave up nine runs (five earned) over three innings to take the loss for the Falcons.
 
Four different Mustangs hit 2-for-3 in Tuesday's finale. Thalassinos scored twice and knocked in a run with a double, while Ordonez also scored twice and added an RBI. Anderson plated a run and scored one herself, while Mongrain scored a run in the game. Wilson finished 2-for-2 with a double, an RBI and a run scored. Colon batted 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run. Miltenberg brought in a run in a 1-for-3 effort.
 
The Mustangs will play for the third straight day on Wednesday, April 17, when they head down to Lincroft, N.J., for a doubleheader with NJCAA Div. III No. 7 Brookdale Community College. Tomorrow's twinbill will begin at 3:30 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