NEW ROCHELLE, NY — Earlier this week, the Monroe College baseball team returned from a road trip to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with a 4-3 win record. They participated in a tournament called the Cal Ripken Experience and picked up victories over Cumberland, Lakeland, Camden and Rochester.
The Mustangs beat Cumberland County 9-1 in the opener, giving them a 2-0 record against the New Jersey school after a win earlier in the year. Alex De La Cruz and Isiah Torres led the offensive onslaught as De La Cruz slugged three hits and scored twice, while Torres also scored twice on a pair of hits. Cam Crabbe connected on a home run, and C.J. Moore and John Russo each had a pair of RBIs. Tony Hernandez struck out six over six innings to earn the win. Anthony Hernandez tossed a scoreless inning to earn the save.
Monroe won their second straight match with an 8-1 triumph over Lakeland Community College. Shortstop Endy Villalona was a perfect 4-4 at the plate and drove in four, while Ronald Jackson had two RBIs. De La Cruz had his second-straight multi-hit game, going 3-4. Vincent Ruel pitched a complete game six-hitter to earn the victory.
The third-straight win came courtesy of a 10-8 shootout with Camden County College. Monroe made 17 hits in the game. Villalona had his second-straight four-hit game, including a double and a triple. Crabbe and Ramger Iglesias each sprayed three hits as well. The game was tied at 8-8 into extra innings, and in the top of the eighth, the Mustangs got clutch RBI base hits from Iglesias and Jackson. A slew of pitchers saw time in this game, but Edward Nunez came away with the win and Fernando Figueroa earned the save.
The final win of the trip was a 16-5 game against Rochester Tech. The bats were the story once again, as Monroe made 15 hits. Crabbe made a pair of hits, including a homer, and drove in four. Lewis Gonzalez drove in three with two hits, one of which was a triple. Andres Fernandez earned the win and Jose Sierra pitched the final two innings.
The Mustangs lost three games, falling to Elgin College twice and Dean once. The team is 10-4 across the 14 contests they have played in South Carolina this season.