NEW ROCHELLE, NY — A pair of strong pitching performances from Edwin Gonzalez and Tony Hernandez aided the Mustangs in splitting a doubleheader with UConn, Avery Point, losing 6-5 and winning 13-1. Together, they pitched a combined 9 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run.
The Mustangs jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Alex De La Cruz reached on an infield single. He came in to score when Endy Villalona got a hit two batters later. Villalona stole second, and scored on an RBI base hit from Cam Crabbe. Isiah Torres followed and was hit by the pitch. Lewis Gonzalez then blasted a bases-clearing triple to the wall in right center that scored Crabbe and Torres.
Avery Point answered with three unearned runs in the third, bringing the score to 4-3. Monroe added a run in the bottom of the third on a leadoff triple from Crabbe and an RBI single by Torres, bringing their lead to 5-3. UConn went on to score three unanswered runs, and won 6-5.
In game one, Gonzalez threw 4 2/3 innings, giving up five unearned runs. Osvaldo Duran was tagged for the loss by allowing just one unearned run. The Mustangs slugged ten hits including triples by Crabbe, Gonzalez, Josue Perez and C.J. Moore.
Game two lasted only five innings, as Monroe won 13-1 via the ten-run rule. Tony Hernandez improved to 4-0 on the season by tossing a one-hitter. The lone hit was a harmless single from the ninth-place hitter in the final innings.
The Mustangs scored in every inning that they batted, including an eight-run first inning in which they earned only two hits. Both hits, one each by Crabbe and De La Cruz, were doubles that drove in two runs apiece. Jonathan Russo got an RBI on a hit by pitch with the bases loaded. Perez walked and forced in a run with the bases loaded. Moore lifted a sacrifice fly to account for a run, and Ramger Iglesias reached on error but got an RBI as well.
The Mustangs scored once more in the second to move up 9-0. Russo singled, then moved to second when Iglesias walked. The bases were loaded on a hit from Miguel Ortiz. Russo scored on a sacrifice fly by Perez.
Avery Point got on the board with a run in the third, making the score 9-1. However, Monroe scored in the third and added three more in the fourth to win 13-1.
The Monroe College baseball team is now 15-8 for the season. They return to action on Wednesday, March 30, when they face Dutchess Community College on the road. The first pitch is slated for 3:30 PM.
