CATONSVILLE, Md., April 24, 2024 – Marissa Thalassinos now sits atop the Monroe College Mustangs softball team's all-time hits record list, as she broke the team's career record in Wednesday's doubleheader sweep of CCBC Catonsville. The Mustangs picked up a 9-1, run-rule victory in Game 1 before taking home an 8-1 win in Game 2. Monroe improves to 21-26 overall with the two wins, while the Cardinals drop to 21-12.
 
Thalassinos reached the 100-hit milestone this past Saturday at WVU Potomac State College, and finished a busy weekend with 104 hits, just three shy of the record of 107 set by former teammate Mya Jack just last season. Thalassinos took over as the record holder when a home run in Game 2 secured her fourth hit of the day and the 108th of her two-year career at Monroe. Thalassinos now has the opportunity to add to that record when the Mustangs begin postseason play this weekend.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 9, CCBC Catonsville 1 (6 INN)
Gabrielle Gonzalez got things going for the Mustangs with a leadoff single in the first. Gabriella Diaz then drew a walk. A ground out by Angie Ordonez put both runners in scoring position, and then Marissa Thalassinos brought Gonzalez home with a sacrifice fly to left. Amber Miltenberg then knocked in Diaz with a single to center, leaving the Mustangs up, 2-0.
 
Monroe then doubled the lead in the second. Gonzalez hit a one-out double, and then Ordonez doubled her in with two outs for the Mustangs' third run. Thalassinos then hit the third two-bagger of the inning for the Mustangs, plating Ordonez for a 4-0 advantage.
 
The Cardinals got a run back in the bottom of the fourth. With runners on first and third, Katie Weaver executed a sacrifice bunt to bring the runner in from third and make it a 4-1 game.
 
The Mustangs erased that run in their next at-bat. Thalassinos hit a one-out single to center and then stole second. A wild pitch moved her to third, and then Veronika Anderson brought her home with a single to center for a 5-1 lead.
 
Monroe had one more big inning in the sixth to help finish Game 1 early. Nathalie Mongrain hit a leadoff single, and the moved to second on a passed ball. A ground out pushed her to third, and then an infield single by Diaz brought her home for a 6-1 lead. A single by Ordonez put runners on first and third, and then the Mustangs successfully executed a double steal to bring Diaz home for a 7-1 edge. Thalassinos then singled to second to bring Ordonez home, and an error on the play led to Thalassinos ending up on second. With two outs, a passed ball on ball four to Anderson allowed Thalassinos to reach third on the play. One more wild pitch then brought Thalassinos home for a 9-1 Monroe lead, eventually leading to a run-rule finish after six frames.
 
Sarah Wall had a terrific start in Game 1, going four innings with just one unearned run allowed on two hits while striking out four batters, improving her record to 11-12. Diaz took over in the circle in the fifth and did not allow a hit over the final two innings. Ellora Edquist took the loss for the Cardinals.
 
Thalassinos hit a perfect 3-for-3 in Game 1 with three RBIs, two runs and a double. Her Game 1 effort ran her hit streak to 15 games and put her in a tie with former teammate Mya Jack for the program career hits record with 107 for the time being. Ordonez batted 2-for-4 with two runs, one RBI and a double in the win. Gonzalez also went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Diaz scored twice and brought in a run in a 1-for-3 outing. Anderson hit 1-for-2 with an RBI, while Mongrain finished 1-for-3 with a run. Miltenberg knocked in a run in a 1-for-4 effort.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 8, CCBC Catonsville 1
A slower start to Game 2 saw the Mustangs take the first lead of the game in the top of the third. Gonzalez reached on an error with one out. Kayla Suleski then dropped down a sacrifice bunt. After she was thrown out at first, Gonzalez took off for third, forcing an errant throw that allowed her to then come home to give Monroe a 1-0 lead.
 
The Cardinals quickly got that run back in the home half of the third on a Mustang miscue. With two outs and the bases loaded, a missed throw back to the pitcher from the catcher led to a runner coming home to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Monroe broke the tie for good in the fifth. Maricela Colon opened the inning with a single before an error moved her to second. Mongrain then singled to center, bringing Colon home to make it a 2-1 lead for Monroe.
 
Thalassinos then pushed herself atop the Monroe record books with one swing in the sixth. She led off the inning with a solo homer to right, her team-leading seventh of the year, and her 108th career hit to break the all-time Monroe College record. Her home run gave Monroe a 3-1 advantage over the Cardinals.
 
The Mustangs distanced themselves even more from the Cardinals in the top of the seventh to ensure the victory. Mongrain walked, and then Gonzalez and Wall both singled to load the bases. Ordonez then reached on an error that brought in two runs for a 5-1 lead. Thalassinos then reached on a fielder's choice that saw everyone advance safely, bringing another run home for a 6-1 score. Miltenberg grounded out to short, but Ordonez came home on the play for a 7-1 lead. Anderson followed with an RBI single to bring Thalassinos home to make it an 8-1 ballgame before the Mustangs closed things out in the bottom of the inning.
 
Diaz got the start in Game 2, going four innings with just one unearned run allowed with four strikeouts to even her record at 9-9. Wall then came on for the final three innings, giving up just one hit with six strikeouts to pick up her second save of the season. Catonsville's Kayleigh Rishel shouldered the loss in Game 2.
 
Thalassinos went 1-for-4 with a homer, two RBIs and two runs in Game 2 to claim Monroe's all-time hits record. Anderson finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and a double. Colon hit 2-for-4 with a run. Mongrain batted 1-for-2 with an RBI and a run scored. Gonzalez scored twice after hitting 1-for-4. Miltenberg batted 1-for-3 with an RBI. Georgia Burr recorded a 2-for-4 outing. Wall slid into the two-hole late in the game and batted 1-for-1.
 
The Mustangs are now set for a Region 15/20 Championship series at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md., this weekend, with the winner of the series advancing to the following weekend's Region 10 Championship in Sumter, S.C. The series will begin with two games on Friday, April 26, beginning at 3 p.m. If neither team sweeps on Friday, a deciding third game of the series will take place on Saturday, April 27.
 
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.
 
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