Clearwater, FL - Coach John Torres's squad couldn't carry over their early momentum from game one, falling 12–2 to St. Petersburg College Titans in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader in sunny Clearwater.
After St. Petersburg scratched across a run in the first, Monroe answered in the third to briefly grab control. Gavin Marchese reached and later came around to score, while Jose Garcia delivered a big swing that produced both a double and a triple on the afternoon, driving in a run and helping the Mustangs take a short-lived 2–1 lead.
Mario Bernard continued his strong day at the plate with two hits, and Franklin Francisco added an RBI on a sacrifice fly to account for Monroe's second run. Despite putting together quality at-bats, the Mustangs were limited to five hits overall.
The game turned in the middle innings as St. Petersburg erupted for four runs in the fourth and broke things open with a seven-run fifth. Timely extra-base hits and aggressive baserunning allowed the Titans to create separation before Monroe could settle back in.
Matthew DeFisher, Miguel Mercado, and the rest of the lineup kept battling, but Monroe couldn't string together enough traffic to mount a comeback against the Titans staff.
Monroe finished with two runs on five hits and played clean defense, but the late surge from St. Petersburg proved too much to overcome. The split on the day moves the Mustangs to 1-5 ahead of their 3 game set against the Hillsborough Community College Hawks.
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE UNIVERSITY
The athletic program at Monroe University encompasses a total of 26 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as the Monroe University 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.MonroeUMustangs.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Mustangs Athletics), Twitter (@MonroeMustangs) and Instagram (@monroemustangs).
