NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., April 2, 2019 – Monroe Express softball dropped a pair of games to Region XV foe Dutchess Community College in their home opening doubleheader at Flowers Park. The Express fell in game one, 6-1, before falling 21-1 in a run-rule shortened five innings in game two. Following the doubleheader, the Express sit at 0-4 (0-2 Region XV), while the Falcons move to 4-2 (4-0 Region XV) on the year.
 
GAME 1: DUTCHESS 6, MONROE 1
Yesennia Baez worked a 1-2-3 top of the first inning, bringing the Express to the plate in the bottom of the first. Yejeiri Frias led off with a double right, and one batter later, Jesiuska Cabral hit a double to right, giving Monroe an early, 1-0 lead.
 
Dutchess responded to tie and take the lead in the top of the second. Julianna Barone hit a leadoff double, scoring on a fielding error to tie the game at 1-1. Elizabeth McCarthy's groundout moved Madchen Knauss to third, before Cassidy Watt gave the Falcons a 2-1 lead with an RBI groundout.
 
The Falcons added another run in the top of the third on Addisen Brandemarte RBI single, taking a 3-1 lead into the fourth.
 
Both the Express and Falcons left runners on base in the fourth and fifth, before Dutchess got back on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth. Brandemar led off the inning with a single, advanced to second on Barone's sacrifice bunt, and scored on Knauss' single through the right side.
 
Dutchess added a pair of insurance runs in the top of the seventh, while Knauss kept the Express off the scoreboard in the bottom of the frame to finish off the 6-1 victory.
 
Baez (0-2) took the loss for the Express, while Knauss (3-1) earned the win for the Falcons.
 
Frias and Cabral each tallied two hits to lead the way for the Express. Cabral went 2-for-2 with a double, walk and RBI, while Frias went 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored.
 
GAME 2: DUTCHESS 21, MONROE 1 (5)
Baez left four on the base over the first two innings to keep the Falcons off the scoreboard, but Dutchess broke through in the top of the third.
 
The Falcons scored 10 runs on six hits and four errors in the top of the third, adding three more runs on two hits in the fourth and eight runs on eight hits in the top of the fifth to take a 21-0 lead.
 
Monroe scored a run in the bottom of the fifth on Kimberley Reyes' single, scoring Frias from second, but Katelyn Martinez retired two of the next three batters to end the fifth and give Dutchess a 21-1 run-rule victory.
 
Baez (0-3) again took the loss for the Express, while Martinez (1-1) picked up the win for the Falcons.
 
Baez went 2-for-2 at the plate, while Raileni Amarante went 2-for-3.
 
The Express will look to bounce back when they take on Columbia-Greene Community College on Thursday, April 4 in a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. at Flowers Park in New Rochelle, 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 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).