CUMBERLAND, Md., April 28, 2024 – After a tough day on Saturday, the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team rebounded in Sunday's doubleheader at Allegany College of Maryland, picking up a pair of wins over the Trojans to close out the weekend in Maryland. The Mustangs powered their way to an 8-2 victory in Game 1 before having to scratch and claw back in a 3-2 win in Sunday's finale. The Mustangs improve to 27-19-1 overall with the wins, while the Trojans fall to 27-20.
 
GAME 1: Monroe 8, Allegany 2
It did not take long for the Mustangs to get on the board in Sunday's opener. Gries-Smith reached base on an error with one out in the first. Keldrin Rodriguez then singled him in to give Monroe a quick 1-0 lead.
 
Monroe's lead tripled just two batters into the second. Jeremy De La Mota drew a walk to open the inning. Jose Fernandez then roped a long line drive over the fence in center to give the Mustangs a 3-0 advantage.
 
The Trojans loaded the bases in the bottom of the second. Cesar Ibarra then hit into a double play that retired the runners on second and first, bringing in a run to make it a 3-1 game. Christian Toledo then doubled to left to bring Ibarra home and leave the home team down, 3-2, after two.
 
Once again, the Mustangs quickly added to their lead in the third. Eli Gries-Smith launched a leadoff homer to left, pushing the lead to 4-2.
 
With two outs in the top of the fifth, Gries-Smith struck again, blasting his second solo home run of the game to left to give the Mustangs a 5-2 advantage. The Mustangs were not done there in the fifth. Rodriguez kept things going with a double, and then a pinch-hitting Melvin Laracuente was hit by a pitch. Anthony Fernandez followed with a single to left, bringing Rodriguez home for a 6-2 Mustang lead.
 
Jose Fernandez opened the sixth with a double to left, and then Christian Carratala beat out an attempted sacrifice bunt to put runners on the corners. With one out, a passed ball brought Fernandez home for a 7-2 lead and put Carratala on second. Diego Urreta then hit an RBI double to score Carratala and leave the Mustangs up, 8-2.
 
Marcos Santiago took over in the second and was terrific in relief, going 5.1 innings with just one hit allowed to pick up the win and improve to 4-2 overall. Casey Tomasik took the loss for the Trojans to drop to 3-1.
 
After seeing his 20-game hit streak come to an end yesterday, Gries-Smith bounced back with a vengeance in Game 1, hammering a pair of solo homers to finish 2-for-4 with three runs scored in the win. Jose Fernandez went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a double and two runs scored. Rodriguez hit 2-for-4 with an RBI a run and a double. Carratala batted 1-for-3 with a run. Urreta doubled and knocked in a run in a 1-for-4 effort. Anthony Fernandez also hit 1-for-4 with an RBI.
 
GAME 2: Monroe 3, Allegany 2
The Trojans jumped out to an early lead with a first-inning rally in Game 2. Ibarra led off the game with a bunt single. Christian Toledo then doubled him in to give the Trojans a 1-0 edge. With one down, Konner Pittman hit another double to bring Toledo home and leave the Trojans on top, 2-0, after one.
 
The Mustangs cut that deficit in half with some help in the second. Anthony Fernandez drew a one-out walk. He then stole second, advanced to third on an errant throw, and then came home when the centerfielder misplayed the ball, bringing the score to 2-1.
 
It took until the sixth for another run to score in the game, but the Mustangs finally tied things up with some small ball. Urreta and Gries-Smith hit back-to-back singles to open the inning. A ground out by Rodriguez moved the runners up, and then another ground out by Jose Fernandez brought Urreta home, tying the game at 2-2.
 
Small ball got it done again in the seventh for Monroe. De La Mota led off with a double, and then Carratala laid down a successful sacrifice bunt to put De La Mota on third. After a walk by the pinch-hitting Pedro Vasquez, the Mustangs went for a double steal with runners on first and third. Vasquez got caught in a rundown, giving De La Mota just enough time to get home, giving the Mustangs the lead for good at 3-2.
 
Emmanuel Ramos went all seven innings for the Mustangs in Game 2, allowing just two runs on four hits with three strikeouts to pick up his second win of the season. Reliever Andrew Lynch gave up the winning run in the seventh to take the loss for the Trojans.
 
Jose Fernandez went 1-for-3 with a double and Monroe's lone RBI in Game 2. De La Mota also doubled and scored the winning run on a stolen base in a 1-for-3 outing. Gries-Smith finished 1-for-3, while Urreta hit 1-for-4 with a run.
 
The Mustangs will not get much time to rest, as they get back to work on Monday, April 29, at home against SUNY Sullivan at Dick Caswell Field. Monday's nine-inning contest will begin at 4 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