BRONX, N.Y., May 7, 2019 – Monroe Express baseball split their doubleheader at Ohio Field against Bronx Community College on Tuesday to wrap up their season with a victory. The Express fell, 5-3, in game one, before coming back to take game two, 14-10, in six innings. With the split, the Express move to 9-26 (7-14 Region XV) on the year, while the Broncos move to 15-15 (14-10 Region XV).
 
GAME 1: BRONX 5, MONROE 3
The Express struck first in the top of the first. With one out, Juan Jorge singled to short and advanced to second on an error. Jesus Tejada singled to right, putting runners at the corners for Bianyor Germosen, who beat out a double play ball to give the Express a 1-0 lead.
 
Bronx answered with two runs in the bottom of the first. Quincy Williams reached on a one-out single and took second on a wild pitch. Michael Mateo walked, and after Marcos Ayala struck out swinging, a wild pitch put runners on second and third. Arian Urena then reached on an error, scoring both Mateo and Williams to give the Broncos a 2-1 lead.
 
Monroe tied things up in the top of the second. Miguel Reicino singled to third with one out and stole second. Anthony Gonzalez Jr. then knocked a single to center, scoring Reicino to tie the game at two.
 
But the Express left two on in the top of the second, and the Broncos retook the lead in the bottom of the frame. With two outs, Steven Santana singled to left and stole second. Justin Nunez followed with an RBI single, giving Bronx a 3-2 lead.
 
Once again, the Express tied the game in the top of the third. Germosen led off with a solo home run to left, his sixth of the season, a program-record, to tie the game at three.
 
However, after the Broncos retook the lead in the bottom of the fourth on Nunez's triple, Esteban De Los Santos held Monroe scoreless over the next three frames to give the Broncos the 5-3 victory in game one.
 
Veras (2-6) took the loss for the Express, while De Los Santos (5-0) earned the win.
 
Germosen went 1-for-4 with a home run, run scored and two RBI to lead the way for the Express, while Reicino went 1-for-2 with a run scored. Gonzalez Jr. added an RBI, going 1-for-2.
 
GAME 2: MONROE 14, BRONX 10 (6)
The Broncos took an early 5-0 lead against the Express, scoring two runs in the first and three more in the second.
 
Nunez led off the bottom of the first with a single and advanced to second on Andy Rodriguez' balk. Williams reached on a fielding error, but was caught stealing, before Michael Mateo walked to put runners at first and third. Ayala then doubled in a run, and Urena followed with an RBI single to give the Broncos a 2-0 lead. Up next, Bronx added another run on Christian Cedeno's sacrifice fly to take a 3-0 lead.
 
In the bottom of the second, Bronx added two more runs Nunez' sacrifice fly and Mateo's single to extend their lead to 5-0.
 
But with 10 runs in the top of the fourth inning, the Express took the lead. Monroe opened the inning drawing nine-straight walks, as every single batter for the Express reached base. After A.J. Torres drew the ninth-straight walk of the inning, and the fourth with the bases loaded, to give the Express a 6-5 lead, Juan Jorge drew a hit-by-pitch to make it a 7-5 lead.
 
Tejada then drew another bases-loaded walk, extending the lead to 8-5, before Germosen grounded into a fielder's choice for the first out of the inning. Emanuel Veras hit a sacrifice fly to make it a 9-5 game, and Tejada scored on an errant pickoff attempt to give Monroe a 10-5 lead.
 
After both teams went scoreless over the next inning, Bronx answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth. On a pair of walks and Urena's single, the Broncos loaded the bases against Hafel Payano. Another walk brought in a run and forced the Express to make a pitching change.
 
Brian Espaillat got Santana to hit an infield fly, and Nunez grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring a run to cut Monroe's lead to 10-7. The Broncos added two more on William's two-run single to cut the Express' lead down to just one, but Espaillat got Mateo to pop out to short to keep the Express out in front.
 
And in the top of the sixth inning, the Express answered with a few insurance runs. Tejada led off with a double, and then Germosen singled to put runners at the corners with nobody out. Veras walked to load the bases for Reicino, who singled to score a run.
 
A batter later, Julian Ovalles-Garcia drew a bases-loaded walk to bring home another run, extending the Express' lead to 12-9. And Torres capped off the inning with a two-run single to left to once again give the Express a five-run, 14-9 lead.
 
Bronx scratched out a run in the bottom of the sixth on Hector Camacho's sacrifice fly, but Marrero got two big strikeouts to end the threat, before the game was called after six innings due to darkness.
 
Bryan Diaz (1-2) picked up the win for the Express, while Matthew Rivera (1-5) took the loss for the Broncos.
 
Tejada went 1-for-2 with a double, two walks, three runs scored and an RBI, while Torres went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI. Reicino and Ovalles-Garcia also each tallied two RBI, with Reicino going 1-for-2 with a walk, two runs scored and two RBI, while Ovalles-Garcia went 0-for-2 with two walks, a run scored and two RBI.
 
The Express finish the season 9-26 (7-14 Region XV), a seven-win improvement upon their inaugural, 2018 season, in their first season under Head Coach John Torres.
 
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).