CENTER MORICHES, N.Y., April 21, 2024 – The Monroe College Mustangs baseball team wrapped up its week with a doubleheader sweep of NJCAA Div. III No. 14 Suffolk County Community College on Sunday at the Moriches Sports Complex. The Mustangs won Game 1, 5-3, before a comeback 8-5 win in Game 2. Monroe improves to 23-17-1 with the wins, while the Sharks drop to 21-15.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 5, Suffolk 3
The Mustangs batted as the home team in both games on Sunday with the game originally scheduled to be played in New Rochelle. Monroe got an immediate jump on the Sharks in the bottom of the first. With Diego Urreta on base after a single, Pedro Vasquez hit two-out, two-run homer to center for an early 2-0 edge.
 
Suffolk got on the board in the top of the third. After a leadoff walk by Dominick Viggiano, Dominic LaFroscia doubled down the left-field line to bring him home, cutting the deficit in half at 2-1.
 
The Mustangs got that run back in their next at-bat. Urreta led off the third with a double, and then Eli Gries-Smith singled up the middle to put runners on the corners. A sacrifice fly by Keldrin Rodriguez then brought Urreta home to leave Monroe up, 3-1.
 
A single and a double for the Sharks had two runners in scoring position in the top of the fourth. Back-to-back groundouts by Ryan Sitler and Joseph Lomonaco each plated a run, tying the game at 3-3.
 
Monroe bounced right back in the home half of the fourth. Anthony Fernandez led off the inning with a solo homer to left-center, putting the Mustangs right back on top, 4-3.
 
The Mustangs added one more in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Gries-Smith smashed a homer over the wall in center, extending the lead to 5-3.
 
Samuel Herrera went four innings in Sunday's opener, allowing three runs on five hits with six strikeouts to earn the win. Sammuel Urena came on for the final three frames, allowing no runs on just two hits to earn his second save. Luke Buyes shouldered the loss for Suffolk in Game 1 to fall to 3-3.
 
Vasquez batted 2-for-3 with a two-run homer in Game 1, his fourth long ball of the year. Anthony Fernandez batted 2-for-3 as well with a solo homer for his third of the season. Gries-Smith also hit his third home run of the year, finishing 2-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Urreta scored twice after hitting 2-for-3 with a double.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 8, Suffolk 5
After two scoreless innings in Game 2, the Sharks got a jump on the Mustangs in the top of the third. The Sharks put four runs on the board in the inning with just two hits, an error and four walks.
 
After Monroe's first two batters failed to reach base in the bottom of the third, Gries-Smith beat out an infield single to keep the inning alive and extend his hitting streak. Anthony Fernandez walked, and then Vasquez reached on an error to load the bases. Rodriguez then came through in a big way, hitting a grand slam to center to immediately tie the game at 4-4.
 
Omar Antonio Burgos opened the fourth with a single up the middle. Christian Carratala then sacrificed him over to second. Vianney Goris was then hit by a pitch, and both runners moved up on a balk. Urreta then brought Burgos in on a ground out to first to put Monroe ahead, 5-4. Gries-Smith then doubled to right-center to bring Goris home and leave the Mustangs up, 6-4.
 
Vasquez opened the fifth with a walk and then stole second base. A wild pitch put him on third, and then a ground out by Melvin Laracuente brought him home for a 7-4 Mustang lead.
 
Carratala got things going in the sixth with a single up the middle. Urreta then drew a one-out walk and a wild pitch put both runners in scoring position. Gries-Smith brought Carratala home on a ground out to short, making it an 8-4 ballgame.
 
Suffolk got a run back quickly in the seventh when LaFroscia hit a leadoff solo homer to make it an 8-5 score. The Mustangs got the job done from there to hang on for the 8-5 win.
 
After taking over in the third, Marcos Santiago tossed the final 4.1 frames for Monroe, allowing just one run with four strikeouts to pick up the win and improve to 3-2. Jacob Galaz went all six innings for the Sharks to take his fourth loss of the year.
 
Rodriguez finished 1-for-3 with a grand slam in Game 2. Gries-Smith had another 2-for-4 game to stretch his hitting streak to 18 games. He knocked in two runs and scored once as well. Both  Anthony Fernandez and Burgos went 1-for-3 with a run scored. Carratala finished 1-for-2 with a run. Vasquez did not register a hit, but managed to score twice in the win.
 
The Mustangs will play next on Tuesday, April 23, when they host Paramount Academy at Dick Caswell Field for a Sophomore Day doubleheader. Tuesday's twinbill is set to begin at 12 p.m., with Sophomore Day being celebrated ahead of 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