BRONX, N.Y., May 1, 2021 – The Monroe College Express baseball team finally got to return to its rightful home of Roberto Clemente State Park on Saturday. The Express dropped a pair of games to ASA Brooklyn. The Express fall to 6-13 on the year with the losses.
 
Game 1: ASA 15, Monroe 4 (5 INN)
The Avengers took the lead in the top of the third. Four walks brought in the first run of the day to give the Avengers a 1-0 lead. Eusebio Dilone then doubled into the gap in right-center to bring two more runs across and make it a three-run game. Edwin Guerrero then reached on an error to third that brought in Ivan Santos to push the lead to four.
 
The Express took advantage of some miscues by the Avengers in the bottom of the third. Jose Arrieta drew a one-out walk, then moved to second on a failed attempt to pick him off. Demetrio Rodriguez then reached on an error at third that left runners on the corners. Jose Holguin then hit a grounder to second that was also misplayed, bringing in Arrieta to make it a 4-1 ballgame.
 
Walks loaded the bases again for ASA in the top of the fourth. Louis Winters then hit a two-RBI single up the middle to push the visitors' lead to 6-1. A wild pitch then scored Jose Lojo from third to make it a 7-1 game. With runners on the corners, a failed pickoff at first got away and allowed the runners to move up, bringing in Winters from third to push the lead to seven runs. Pinch hitter Victor Guerrero was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to make the score 9-1. A sacrifice fly by Keith Hernandez brought in one more run for the Avengers to leave them up, 10-1.
 
With runners on the corners in the top of the fifth, Robin Dotel hit a pinch-hit RBI single for the Avengers to make it an 11-1 game. Yefry Oleo later hit a two-RBI single to center to make ASA's lead 13-1. Hernandez followed with a two-RBI double to the warning track in left to make it a 15-1 Avenger lead.
 
The Express made a push to keep the game going in the bottom of the fifth. With the bases loaded and one away, Allyn Ramsay hit into a fielder's choice that was dropped at second, scoring a run and keeping the bases loaded. Malvin Gutierrez then hit a ground-rule double down the right-field line to bring in two more runs and make it a 15-4 game. Unfortunately, that was all the Express could bring in, resulting in a run-rule finish.
 
Juan Polo picked up the win for the Avengers, while Arturo Aviles shouldered the loss for the Express to fall to 2-2 on the season.
 
Gutierrez finished 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs in Game 1. Rodriguez hit 1-for-2 in the game.
 
Game 2: ASA 12, Monroe 2 (5 INN)
With the bases loaded and two outs in the top of the first, Alex Sierra hit a two-RBI single into right field to put the Avengers up, 2-0, early in Saturday's second contest. Later with the bases loaded, Luis Cordero walked to bring in the third run of the inning.
 
Arrieta reached on an error to open the bottom of the first for Monroe. He then stole second. With one out, Jose Holguin singled into left, scoring Arrieta from second to make it a 3-1 game.
 
Winters singled to start the second for ASA, then stole both second and third. He came in on an RBI single by Eusebio Dilone to make it a 4-1 score. With runners on first and third, Santiago Vega singled through the left side to bring in another run and make it 5-1. Sierra then singled off the pitcher and into the outfield, bringing in another run to push the lead to five. A double steal then brought in one more run to leave the Avengers up, 7-1.
 
The bases were loaded for the Avengers in the top of the third when a hit-by-pitch brought in their eighth run. Dilone then hit a sacrifice fly to left to make it a 9-1 game. With two outs, a couple errors at short allowed two more runs to score and bring ASA's lead to 11-1.
 
The Express got one back in the bottom of the third when Rodriguez roped a solo homer straight down the right-field line to make it an 11-2 game.
 
ASA had runners on first and third with nobody out in the top of the fifth when Victor Guerrero grounded into a double play, but that brought in a run to make it a 12-2 game.
 
Moises Figueroa took the loss for the Express in Game 2 to fall to 0-2 on the season. Johansel Gomez got the win for the Avengers.
 
Rodriguez finished 1-for-2 with his solo homer in Saturday's closer. Holguin went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
 
The Express will look to get back on track on Tuesday, May 4, when they host Sussex County Community College back at Roberto Clemente State Park. The game is set to begin at 4 p.m.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 36 teams competing across nine sports. There are 19 varsity and junior varsity programs, as well as club men's and women's rugby, the Monroe College marching band, and the newly added esports program, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 17 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).