NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., May 12, 2024 – A terrific late-season playoff run came to an unfortunate end for the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team on Sunday, as the Mustangs were defeated by No. 6-ranked Florence-Darlington Technical College in the East District Championship final, 13-4, at Dick Caswell Field. Florence-Darlington claims the East District Title after winning the best-of-three series, 2-1. The Stingers will now represent the East District at the 2024 Junior College World Series in Grand Junction, Colo.
 
The Stingers grabbed an early lead in Sunday's matchup with a rally in the bottom of the first. Josh Campos led off with a single down the right-field line. Rom Kellis and Devin Mitchell each drew walks with one out to load the bases. Tyler Kamerer then brought in a run with a sacrifice fly to left to give the Stingers a 1-0 lead. Zack Hunt then followed with a single up the middle, bringing in two more runs to leave Florence-Darlington on top, 3-0.
 
Florence-Darlington added to its lead in the second. Michael Gibson singled and then Jay Douglas was hit by a pitch. Ethan Plyler drew a one-out walk to load the bases. Mitchell then delivered a two-RBI single up the middle with two outs to extend the lead to 5-0 after two.
 
The Region 10 Champions got on the board once again in the fourth. A pair of singles had two on for the Stingers, and then a third single by Kamerer brought in Kellis, pushing the lead to 6-0.
 
The Mustangs took advantage of a Stingers miscue to cut the deficit in half in the top of the sixth. Anthony Fernandez reached on a one-out walk. With two down, Jeremy De La Mota struck out, but a dropped third strike that went to the backstop allowed him to reach first. Pedro Vasquez made the Stingers pay, launching a three-run blast to dead center, getting Monroe within three at 6-3.
 
The Stingers responded in the bottom of the sixth. Campos and Player both walked to open the frame. With one out, Mitchell singled into left, bringing Campos home for a 7-3 advantage.
 
Monroe threatened again in the top of the seventh. Fraelyn Rosario Pena led off with a walk. With two down, Anthony Fernandez beat out a grounder to short to get two on, and then Jose Fernandez was hit by a pitch to load the bases. De La Mota then singled through the left side, bringing in a run to cut the deficit back down to three at 7-4.
 
Things got worse for the Mustangs in the home half of the seventh. The Stingers had runners on second and third with one out, allowing a run to come home on a sacrifice fly by Campos to make it an 8-4 game. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Mitchell came through again for Florence-Darlington with a two-RBI single into left, pushing the score to 10-4. Kamerer followed with an RBI single of his own, leaving the Stingers ahead, 11-4.
 
The Stingers struck one final time in the bottom of the eighth. With runners on second and third, a ground out by Plyler brought in Jay Douglas to make it a 12-4 game. A wild pitch then brought Campos home to reach the eventual final score of 13-4.
 
Stinger starter Aydin Palmer went six innings in the game, allowing three unearned runs with nine strikeouts to earn the win and improve to 9-3 on the year. Derek Duval threw the final 2.1 innings for the Stingers, earning his seventh save of the season. Emmanuel Ramos shouldered the loss for Monroe.
 
Vasquez finished 1-for-3 with a three-run homer for the Mustangs in the game. Anthony Fernandez hit 2-for-3 with a run and a double. De La Mota batted 1-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Keldrin Rodriguez went 2-for-4, while Diego Urreta hit 2-for-5.
 
Sunday's loss brings Monroe's 2024 season to a close. The Mustangs finish the year 32-23-1 overall. Monroe made a run to the East District Championship after going a perfect 3-0 in the 2024 Region 20 Championship tournament in Maryland.
 
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