GARDEN CITY, N.Y., April 16, 2019 – Behind an impressive performance at the plate, Monroe Express softball swept their doubleheader on Tuesday against Nassau Community College at Mitchel Park. The Express took game one, 21-7, in a run-rule shortened five innings, before holding off the Lions to pick up a 14-10 victory in game two. Monroe moves to 3-9 (2-4 Region XV) with the victories, while the Lions fall to 0-12 (0-9 Region XV) with the losses.
 
GAME 1: MONROE 21, NASSAU 7 (5)
The Express struck first against the Lions, scoring nine runs in the top of the first. Yejeiri Frias led off the first with a single, and Zahra Medina followed with another single to put runners on first and second. A wild pitch moved the pair to second and third, before Raileni Amarante hit another single, scoring Frias to give the Express a 1-0 lead.
 
Amarante stole second and Yesennia Baez walked to reload the bases for Kimberly Reyes. Reyes knocked in another run with an infield single, and Jasmeilyn Garcia made it 4-0, drawing a bases loaded walk. Corrine Haab struck out the next two batters, but the Leana Alonzo and Frias drew two more bases-loaded walks to extend Monroe's lead to 6-0.
 
Batting for the second time in the inning, Medina scorched a single to center, plating Garcia and Alonzo to make it a 7-0 lead, before a passed ball brought home another run. Amarante then reached on an error, scoring Medina from third to cap off a nine-run inning for the Express.
 
Nassau answered with three runs in the bottom of the first. Joi Ockimey led off with a single, and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Sarah Gilbert reached on an error, scoring Ockimey from second, to give the Lions their first run of the game. A batter latter, Haab reached on another error putting runners on first and third. Haab stole second before a wild pitch brought both runners home, cutting Monroe's lead to 9-3.
 
Monroe responded with another nine runs in the top of the second. Reyes led off the inning and reached on a fielding error. Garcia doubled to put runners at second and third before Stephanie Avalo singled to center, scoring Reyes to extend the lead to 10-3. After Avalo and Garcia stole second and third, Jannill Abreu Rodriguez lined a two-run single to left, making it a 12-3 lead.
 
A pair of walks put two runners on for Amarante, who hit an inside-the-park, three-run home run to extend the Express' lead to 15-3. Baez followed with a double, and Reyes a single, before Garcia drew a walk to again load the bases. Avalo knocked in two more with a two-run single, before Abreu Rodriguez reached on an error, scoring Garcia to give Monroe an 18-3 lead.
 
Nassau came back with two runs in the bottom of the second on Gilbert's RBI single and Lily Galasso's RBI groundout, cutting the Express' lead to 18-5.
 
But after a scoreless third inning, Monroe tacked on three more in the top of the fourth. Garcia and Avalo smacked back-to-back singles with one out to put two runners on for Abreu Rodriguez. Abreu Rodriguez hit a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Garcia, before Alonzo scored Avalo with an RBI single, extending the lead to 20-5.
 
The Express added one more in the inning when Alonzo scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch, taking a 21-5 lead.
 
The Lions scored two in the bottom of the fourth. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases, but Baez got Galasso to ground into a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning. Haab's sacrifice fly make it 21-6, and Shania Hardy next reloaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch. A wild pitch brought another run home, but Baez struck out Briana Zepeda to end the threat.
 
The Express left the bases loaded in the top of the fifth, and Baez worked around a leadoff single in the bottom of the inning to finish off the 21-7, run-rule victory.
 
Baez (2-7) earned the win for Monroe, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits, walking four and striking out seven over 5.0 innings pitched. Haab (0-4) took the loss for Nassau.
 
Avalo led the Express at the plate, going 4-for-5 with two runs scored and three RBI. Reyes went 3-for-5 with three runs scored and an RBI, while Medina went 3-for-4 with a walk, three runs scored and two RBI.
 
Amarante hit her second-career home run, going 2-for-5 with a home run, two runs scored and four RBI, while Garcia and Baez each knocked an extra-base hit. Garcia went 2-for-3 with a double, two walks, four runs scored and an RBI, while Baez went 1-for-4 at the plate with a double, walk and two runs scored.
 
In total, the Express tallied 19 hits and seven walks, striking out just five times. All nine Express players recorded a hit, while all but one scored a run or tallied an RBI.
 
GAME 2: MONROE 14, NASSAU 10
Monroe again took an early lead in the top of the first inning. With two outs and a runner at first, Baez doubled to left, scoring Amarante from first to give the Express a 1-0 lead. Baez moved to third on the throw and Reyes knocked in her home with an RBI single, making it 2-0.
 
Garcia walked to put two on for Avalo, who continued her hot-hitting, singling through the left side to plate Reyes and extend Monroe's lead to 3-0. Garcia scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0 before Avalo scored on a dropped third strike to give the Express a 5-0 lead.
 
The Lions though, came right back to tie the game in the bottom of the inning. Joi Ockimey doubled and scored on Lily Galasso's sacrifice fly, cutting the Express' lead to four. A walk and a single loaded the bases for Maya Jones, who knocked in two more with a two-run single to right. A wild pitch scored Hardy to make it 5-4, before Maraya Jones reached on a fielding error, scoring Maya Jones to tie the game at five.
 
The Express came right back to retake the lead in the top of the second. Back-to-back doubles by Frias and Medina gave Monroe a 6-5 lead. Amarante next grounded out to third, scoring Medina to extend the lead to 7-5.
 
After Baez worked a 1-2-3 second, Monroe tacked on another run in the top of the third. Avalo led off with a single, taking second on Abreu Rodriguez' sacrifice bunt. Avalo moved to third on a wild pitch and Alonzo brought her home with an RBI groundout, extending the lead to 8-5.
 
Nassau cut the deficit by a run when Haab scored from third on a wild pitch in the bottom of the third, but the Express came right back to again extend their lead in the top of the fourth.
 
Medina led off with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. Amarante reached on a dropped fly ball to put runners at second and third for Baez, whose sacrifice fly make it 9-6. After Reyes flew out, Garcia smacked a double to center, scoring Amarante to give the Express a 10-6 lead.
 
On Galasso's RBI groundout and Hardy's RBI single, Nassau cut Monroe's lead in half in the bottom of the fourth. But once again, the Express added a pair of runs in the top of the fifth.
 
Alonzo's one-out single put a runner on for Frias, who's singled on a bunt, taking third on a throwing error on the play. Alonzo scored to give the Express an 11-9 lead, and Medina plated Frias with an RBI groundout to make it 12-9.
 
Reyes relieved Baez to start the bottom of the fifth and gave up a run on Gilbert's RBI double. But the Express got Ockimey out trying to score from second and Reyes got Galasso to groundout to keep the lead at two.

Both teams went scoreless in the sixth, before Amarante tacked on a couple insurance runs in the top of the seventh. With two outs and a runner on first, Amarante hit her second home run of the afternoon, and two-run inside-the-park home run, to extend the Express' lead to 14-10.
 
And Reyes worked around a one-out walk to keep the Lions off scoreboard in the bottom of the seventh to nail down the save and give the Express the 14-10 victory.
 
Baez (3-7) again earned the win, allowing nine runs (two earned) on four hits, walking four and striking out seven over 4.0 innings pitched. Reyes (1) earned the save for the Express, allowing one run on two hits, walking two and striking out one over 3.0 innings pitched.
 
Galasso (0-2) took the loss for the Lions.
 
Medina went 3-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and two RBI to lead the way for the Express. Amarante added her second home run of the day, going 2-for-5 with a home run, three runs scored and three RBI.
 
Avalo turned in another terrific performance, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Frias went 2-for-4 with a double, walk and two runs scored.
 
Over the two games, the Express tallied 35 runs on 33 hits, including two home runs and six doubles.
 
The Express will look to make it four-straight wins when they travel to Toms River, N.J. to take on Ocean County Community College in a doubleheader beginning at 3:30 p.m.
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 30 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Monroe Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus as of the fall of 2017, has 11 varsity and junior varsity teams competing at the NJCAA Division III level.

For more information about the Monroe Express, please visit us at www.MonroeExpress.com or follow us on social media: Facebook (Monroe Express), Twitter (@MonroeExpress) and Instagram (@MonroeExpress).