POMONA, N.Y., March 25, 2019 – The Monroe Express JV baseball team fell just short against Saint Thomas Aquinas Club, 15-13, on Monday at Palisades Credit Union Park, dropping to 0-2 on the season.
 
After a scoreless first, the Express took the lead in the top of the second. Brayan Lara led off with a double, and Key Jimenez followed with a triple to bring Lara home, giving Monroe a 1-0 lead. Franklin Contreras scored Jimenez and made it 2-0 with his RBI single, before Alberto Guerrero reached on a throwing error, scoring Contreras.
 
After Guerrero stole second, putting runners at second and third, Jasson Medina knocked in two more with a two-run single, giving the Express a 5-0 lead.
 
Rafael Duran Perez retired the side in the second and third, before Monroe doubled their lead in the top of the fourth. Guerroro, Medina and Alberto Taveras led off the top of the fourth with back-to-back-to-back singles, loading the bases for Daniel Coradin. James Rodriguez' wild pitch scored Guerrero to make it 6-0, and Coradin walked to re-load the bases before Lara's RBI single and Jimenez's RBI groundout extended the Express' lead to 8-0.
 
Two more wild pitches brought Lara and Coradin into score, and Monroe lead 10-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth.
 
But the Spartans began to claw their way back in the bottom of the inning. Ray Amato doubled and scored on a wild pitch to cut the Express' lead to 10-1, before STAC Club broke through in the bottom of the fifth.
 
Jake McReedy walked to lead off the bottom of the fifth and came around to score on Mike Bavero's RBI double, cutting the lead to 10-2. Eric Berrios' RBI single made it 10-3, before Marcus Torres knocked in two more to make it 10-5.
 
A wild pitch and two more RBI singles made it 10-8, but Duran Perez got Berrios to fly out to end the inning with the Express still out in front.
 
Jimenez extended their Express' lead back to three singlehandedly in the top of the sixth, singling, stealing second and third, and scoring on a wild pitch, but Saint Thomas Aquinas answered with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Yianni Koustsombaris walked and scored on a passed ball to cut the lead to 11-9, before Omar Taveras walked and scored on a wild pitch to cut Monroe's lead down to one.
 
Both teams went scoreless in the seventh, and while Jimenez scored again to extend Monroe's lead to 12-10 in the top of the eighth, the Spartans scored five runs in the bottom of the frame to take the lead for good.
 
In the top of the ninth, Medina knocked in Guerrero with an RBI triple, cutting the deficit to two. And the Express loaded the bases against STAC with two outs, but Berrios struck out Leandro Rodriguez to finish off the save and give the Spartans a 15-13 victory.
 
Lara (0-1) took the loss for the Express, while Emilio Rosario (1-0) earned the win for STAC Club.
 
Jimenez led the Express at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a triple, four stolen bases, three runs scored and two RBI, while Medina and Lara also added three hits. Medina went 3-for-6 with a triple, stolen base, run scored and three RBI, while Lara went 3-for-6 with a double, a stolen base, two runs scored and an RBI.
 
The Express will look to bounce back when they take on SUNY Sullivan JV on Wednesday, March 27 at 3:30 p.m. in Loch Sheldrake, N.Y.  
 
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 nine 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).