VINELAND, N.J., March 24, 2019 – The Monroe Express softball team fell twice against the Cumberland County College Dukes in their inaugural season opening doubleheader on Saturday. The Express fell just short in game one, 13-9, before falling, 9-1, in a run-rule shortened five innings in game two. Monroe falls to 0-2 following the doubleheader, while the Dukes move to 7-6.
 
GAME 1: CUMBERLAND COUNTY 13, MONROE 9
Monroe scored their first run in program history to take an early lead against Cumberland County in the top of the first inning. Jesiuska Cabral reached on a fielder's choice, moved to third and scored on two wild pitches to give the Express a 1-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the inning, the Dukes came right back to take the lead. With runners at first and third and one out, Cumberland County executed a double steal to bring Sarah Morgan home and tie the game. Breanna Suppi followed with an RBI single, scoring Alyse Jackson from third, and the Dukes led, 2-1, after one.
 
The Express came right back to take the lead with four runs in the top of the second. Julie Trowers, Jasmeilyn Garcia and Yejeiri Frias all drew walks to load the bases for Cabral, who cleared the bases with a three-run double, giving Monroe a 4-2 lead. Raileni Amarante reached on an error to score Cabral from third, making it a 5-2 lead.
 
The Dukes cut into Monroe's lead in the bottom of the second. Jackson's double put two-on and two-out for Alicia Serrano, who started a two-out rally with an RBI double. Suppi knocked in another run with a single, but Trowers caught Serrano trying to score from third, keeping the lead at 5-4.
 
Zahra Medina singled and scored on a wild pitch in the top of the third to extend the Express' lead to 6-4, but Cumberland County answered with four runs on five hits in the bottom of the inning to take the lead.
 
With the bases loaded and nobody out, Siani Gomez knocked in a run with an RBI single, before a Gianna DeMarco scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at six. Morgan's RBI groundout brought another run home, before Jackson gave the Dukes an 8-6 lead with an RBI single to center.
 
Neither team scored in the fourth, before the Express cut the deficit in half in the top of the fifth. Trowers reached on a fielder's choice, and Garcia walked to put two on. Leana Alonzo made in 8-7 with an RBI single, but Cumberland threw out Alonzo trying to stretch her single into a double, keeping their lead at one.
 
And after Yesennia Baez again kept the Dukes off the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth, Monroe took the lead in the top of the sixth. Frias led off the sixth with a walk, stole second and moved to third on a dropped third strike. Frias and Cabral executed a double steal to tie the game at eight, and Cabral scored on a wild pitch to give the Express a 9-8 lead.
 
But the Dukes came right back to score five runs on three hits in the bottom of the frame, highlighted by Serrano's bases loaded, two-run single, giving Cumberland County a 13-9 lead.
 
And Culley relieved Donnelly to work a 1-2-3 top of the seventh to give the Dukes a 13-9 victory.
 
Baez (0-1) took the loss for the Express, while Donnelly (1-1) earned the win for Cumberland.
 
Medina led the Express with two hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Cabral scored a team-high three runs, going 1-for-3 with a double, walk, three runs scored and three RBI.
 
GAME 2: CUMBERLAND COUNTY 9, MONROE 1 (5)
After Frias reached on a throwing error to lead off the top of the first, Medina singled her home to give the Express an early 1-0 lead.
 
The Dukes scratched out on a run in the bottom of the inning on another error, as Jackson scored from second to tie the game at one.
 
After one and half scoreless frames, Cumberland County took the lead in the bottom of the third. The Dukes scored six runs on three hits and two errors, forcing an Express' pitching change.
 
With the bases loaded, Donnelly reached on an error to give Cumberland a 3-1 lead, before a single and a two-run double extended the Dukes' lead to five. Morgan knocked in another run on a single to left, before Baez relieved Medina to finish off the bottom of the third.
 
Cumberland added two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to extend their lead to 9-1, and Culley worked a 1-2-3 top of the fifth to finish off the 9-1, run-rule victory.
 
Medina (0-1) took the loss for Monroe, allowing seven unearned runs on three hits, walking five and striking out two over 2.2 innings pitched. Culley (1-2) earned the win for Cumberland County.
 
Trowers went 1-for-2 with a double to lead in the Express, while Media knocked in the lone run, going 1-for-2 with an RBI.
 
The Express are back in action on Friday, March 29 when they travel to Danbury, Conn. to take on Western Connecticut State JV in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m.
 
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 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 seven 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).