NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 18, 2024 – The first matchup of a three-game series between the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team and NJCAA Div. III No. 3 Rowan College South Jersey-Gloucester went the way of the Mustangs on Thursday at Dick Caswell Field, as the Mustangs defeated the Roadrunners, 6-3. Monroe improves to 20-16-1 with the win, while Gloucester drops to 30-6.
 
Christian Carratala led off the third with Monroe's first hit of the day, a double down the right-field line to get things going for the Mustangs. Gilbert Gomez then attempted to sacrifice him to third, but managed to beat it out for a single to put runners on the corners. After Gomez advanced to second, a ground out by Diego Urreta brought Carratala home from third to give Monroe a 1-0 lead. Eli Gries-Smith singled into left to keep things going. With two down, Pedro Vasquez ripped another single into right, bringing Gomez and Gries-Smith home to push Monroe's lead to 3-0.
 
Monroe padded its lead in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Urreta launched his team-leading fourth home run of the year over the fence in right, giving the Mustangs a 4-0 advantage over the Roadrunners. Gries-Smith followed immediately after with a ground-rule double just shy of the fence in left-center. After Keldrin Rodriguez walked, an errant pickoff by the catcher moved both runners into scoring position. Vasquez then hit a long fly ball to right-center for a sacrifice fly that brought Gries-Smith home, leaving the Mustangs up, 5-0.
 
The Roadrunners loaded the bases with nobody out in the sixth. Juan Peralta then hit a sacrifice fly to right to bring in a run and make it a 5-1 game. Daniel DiEdwards then got the next batter to ground into an inning-ending double play to limit the damage and escape trouble.
 
Gloucester threatened again in the top of the seventh. With runners on the corners, a long fly ball by Edwin Hernandez brought in a run on a sacrifice fly to bring the score to 5-2. DiEdwards once again managed to limit the Roadrunners to just the one run and take the three-run lead into the eighth.
 
Gavin Degnan hit a ground-rule double to lead off the eighth for the Roadrunners. A ground out then moved him to third, and then an error on a grounder at first brought Degnan home to make it a 5-3 game.
 
Anthony Fernandez led off the eighth with a walk for the Mustangs. A failed pickoff then sent him all the way to third. Jeremy De La Mota then hit a grounder to short, but Fernandez managed to dive in around the tag and score to extend Monroe's lead to 6-3.
 
Daniel DiEdwards had another strong start on Thursday, allowing just two earned runs across 7.1 frames with four strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 5-1. Sammuel Urena tossed the final 1.2 innings, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts to pick up his first save. Danny Kerr took the loss for the Roadrunners to drop to 5-2.
 
Vasquez knocked in three runs in a 1-for-3 effort in Thursday's win. Urreta went 1-for-4 with two RBIs, a run and a home run. Gries-Smith scored twice after hitting 2-for-4 with a double, extending his hitting streak to 14 straight games and 18-of-19. Carratala batted 2-for-4 with a double and a run. Gomez scored after hitting 1-for-3. Jose Fernandez finished 1-for-4 in the game.
 
The Mustangs and Roadrunners will now play two more on Friday, April 19, in Sewell, N.J. Friday's opener is set for a 1 p.m. first pitch.
 
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