BRENTWOOD, N.Y., May 10, 2022 – For the first time in the program's very young history, the Monroe College Express softball team has earned the 2022 NJCAA Region 15 Div. III Softball Championship. After a doubleheader split on Monday forced a winner-takes-all final on Tuesday, the Express held on late to defeat No. 5-ranked Suffolk County Community College, 5-4, to claim their first Region Title.
 
As the Region 15 Champions, the Express advance to the Northeast District Championship for the first time. The Northeast District Championship will be played as a best-of-three series, hosted by Region 20 Champion Butler County Community College in Cabot, Pa., this coming weekend.
 
The Express got off to a fast start in Tuesday's final. Nicole Peralta led off the game with a single to center, and then Juliana Vasquez walked. A single by Zahra Medina loaded the bases, and then a fielder's choice by Cinthia Ramirez brought in the first run of the day. With runners on second and third, Paola Calderon grounded out to short to bring in Vasquez for a 2-0 lead. Arlenny Diaz followed with a single to right, knocking in Ramirez to leave the Express on top, 3-0.
 
It took until the fourth for more runs to score in Tuesday's contest. Ashley Ulmschneider led off the inning with a walk, and then stole second. Ashleigh Stewart promptly knocked her in with a single up the gut, pushing the lead to four. With two outs, Medina beat out a bunt single to put runners on the corners. Then, on a grounder by Ramirez, a throw to second was not in time to get Medina, allowing Stewart to come home and make it a 5-0 advantage for the Express.
 
Toni Shawnee's perfect game came to an end when Ashley Mathes hit a one-out single in the bottom of the fourth for the Sharks. With two outs, Daja Farmer reached on an error to move Mathes to third and keep the inning going. Gianna Postiglione took advantage with an RBI single to center to get Suffolk on the board, but the Express were able to get the next batter out to maintain a four-run lead at 5-1.
 
That score stood until the bottom of the sixth. A pair of singles had two runners on for the Sharks. With two outs, Katie Buerkel singled up the middle, scoring Farmer to bring the score to 5-2, but the Sharks got no closer in the sixth.
 
Suffolk turned the game into a nailbiter in the bottom of the seventh. Angelica Magliocco opened the inning with a walk, and was then sacrificed to second by Alyssa Jones. A dropped fly ball in right put Jaden Thompson on base and left runners on first and third for the Sharks. Mathes responded with a double to left that brought in both baserunners, bringing the Sharks within a run at 5-4. Shawnee then struck out Kayleigh Olsen for the second out, and faced a big challenge with Farmer at the dish and the tying run on second. But that proved to be no matter for the Express' ace, as she got Farmer to ground out to second, igniting the Express' celebration.
 
Shawnee accomplished her goal with a complete-game victory over the Sharks, improving her season record to 12-5. She allowed just two earned runs across seven frames. Buerkel took the loss for Suffolk after yielding all five of Monroe's runs across four innings.
 
Stewart batted 2-for-4 with an RBI and what proved to be the game-winning run in Tuesday's championship victory. Peralta hit 2-for-3 with a run. Diaz went 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Ulmschneider scored a run in a 1-for-2 effort. Ramirez officially finished 0-for-4 in the game, but managed to be very productive with two RBIs and a run scored. Calderon hit 1-for-4 with an RBI. Medina turned in a 2-for-4 outing in the game. Vasquez went 0-for-2, but she scored a run after drawing two walks.
 
After making history by claiming the Region 15 Championship, the job is not finished for the scorching hot Express, who have won nine of their last 10 games heading into the Northeast District Championship Series. The best-of-three series at Butler County will begin on Friday, May 13, with a doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. at Laura J. Doerr Memorial Park. Should it be necessary, a deciding third game will be played on Saturday, May 14, at 1 p.m.

ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 35 teams competing across nine sports. There are 21 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 and men's volleyball programs, competing on the New Rochelle campus as the Mustangs (NJCAA Division I). The Monroe Express, based out of the Bronx campus, has 14 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).