SELDEN, N.Y., May 15, 2021 – The Monroe College Express softball team took on Suffolk County Community College for the Region 15 Championship on Saturday, but the Express fell in both games of Saturday's doubleheader, awarding the Region Title to the Sharks.
 
GAME 1: Suffolk 11, Monroe 2 (5 INN)
The Express jumped on the Sharks early in Saturday's opener. Nicole Peralta led off the game with a double to left, and was then sacrificed to third by Zahra Medina. Paola Calderon then brought her in on a sacrifice fly to center, putting the Express on top, 1-0.
 
The Sharks fired back, putting up four runs in the home half of the first. The Express got back on the board in the top of the second. Raileni Amarante hit a two-out single to right to keep the inning going. Ashleigh Stewart then doubled to left, scoring Amarante to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
 
The Sharks put up another four-spot in the bottom of the second to take an 8-2 advantage. They added another run in the bottom of the third for a 9-2 lead. Then, in the bottom of the fifth, a two-run homer by Jaden Thompson resulted in a walkoff, run-rule victory for the Sharks by a score of 11-2.
 
Medina took the loss in the circle for Monroe to fall to 2-8 on the year. Gianna Postiglione picked up the win for Suffolk to improve to 11-1.
 
Stewart hit 2-for-2 with an RBI double in the game. Peralta finished 2-for-3 with a double and a run. Amarante scored a run in a 1-for-2 effort. Melissa De Los Santos hit 1-for-2 with a double of her own. Genesis Duarte-Suarez hit 1-for-3 in the loss.
 
GAME 2: Suffolk 6, Monroe 1
Game 2 got off to a similar start to Game 1. Peralta led off the game with a triple this time around, and came in two batters later on an RBI single by Calderon to give the Express a quick 1-0 edge.
 
Daja Farmer put the Sharks into the lead in the home half of the first with a two-run homer to double-up the Express, 2-1. The Shark picked up another two runs in the bottom of the second to make it 4-1. The score held until the bottom of the fifth when a single and an error brought in Suffolk's final two runs to make it a 6-1 game.
 
Mia Colamarino went all six innings for the Express, allowing just three earned runs, but shouldering the loss to fall to 1-5. Samantha Butler picked up the win for Suffolk to improve to 10-1.
 
Peralta finished 2-for-4 with a triple and a run scored in Game 2. Medina hit 2-for-4 with a triple of her own. Calderon went 1-for-3 with an RBI. Duarte-Suarez hit a double in her 2-for-3 effort. De Los Santos batted 1-for-3 in the game.
 
Saturday's losses mark the end of the 2021 campaign for the Express. The Express showed an incredible amount of improvement in just the second full season of the program's existence. They will return for their third season in 2022, looking forward to a full season to take the next step forward.

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).