BRONX – The Monroe College – Bronx baseball team earned a thrilling come-from-behind victory in Region 15 play over Nassau Community College, 10-9, at Roberto Clemente State Park on Wednesday. The Express take three out of four games from the Lions this year and bump their Region 15 record to 8-1 (10-14 overall).
 
Monroe – Bronx trailed by five runs early in the game, but a strong performance from the bullpen and timely hitting propelled the Express to the key regional win in comeback fashion.
 
Second-year pitcher Didier Hernandez earned the victory for the Express by pitching 4.2 innings of relief, giving up just one earned run and striking out four batters. Sophomore closer Luis Lopez earned the first save of the season and the fourth of his collegiate career as he struck out two batters in a full inning of work and prevented the tying run on second from scoring. Freshman pitcher Luis Roman had a strong performance out of the bullpen as he tossed three shutout innings and fanned three hitters.
 
"Great job by Roman and Hernandez for keeping us in the game," Express Head Baseball Coach Bryan Diaz said. "And excellent job by Lopez for closing the door with the final three outs."
 
The Lions (4-9, 4-7 Region 15) got off to a fast start as they put up five runs in the top of the first inning, before Monroe even had a chance to bat. 
 
In the bottom frame, sophomore center fielder Bryant Quezada got things started for the Express with a single to right center. After advancing to second on a passed ball, he came around to score thanks to an RBI single off the bat of rookie right fielder Alfredo Jimenez Jr. to pull the Blue and Gold to within four. 
 
After coming into the game out of the bullpen and stopping Nassau from doing more damage in the top of the first, Roman held the Lions scoreless in the second and third innings to keep the game at 5-1. 
 
The Express' lineup chipped away in the bottom of the third as sophomore left fielder Gregory Espinal drilled a home run to left to pull Monroe to within three runs. Sophomore catcher Hecxiel Perez and second-year first baseman Camilo Rodriguez each hit a single, and then advanced a base on an error, to keep the momentum going with runners on second and third and one out. Rookie third baseman Giovanny Flores slapped a single through the right side to score both Perez and Rodriguez to pull Monroe to within a run at 5-4. Nassau was able to escape further trouble thanks to a line drive fly-ball double play. 
 
The Lions threatened in the top of the fourth, as they put runners on first and second with one out. Hernandez entered the game on the mound for the Express and got the opposing hitter to hit into a fly-ball double play. Quezada caught the ball in center and threw it to freshman second baseman Jeanpaul Alicea Albertorio who tagged the lead runner at second because the runner did not tag up and headed to third before he turned around and attempted to go back to second base. That resulted in the double play. 
 
The score remained 5-4 in favor of the Lions until the bottom of the fifth. The Express had runners on second and third with one out. Flores came through again as he produced an RBI single to score Espinal to tie the game at five runs apiece and to set up runners at the corners. Flores then stole second base which allowed Perez to score on the throw to give Monroe its first lead of the game at 6-5. Up next was freshman shortstop Yan Ortiz Torres who drilled a double to left center which allowed Flores to score and extend Monroe's advantage to 7-5. Two batters later, Alicea Albertorio came up to the plate with Torres on third after he stole the base. Alicea Albertorio drilled a double to right which scored Ortiz Torres and extended Monroe's benefit to 8-5.
 
Nassau took advantage of sloppy play in the field by the Express in the top of the sixth by scoring three runs to tie the game at eight.
 
Monroe – Bronx answered immediately in the bottom of the sixth. After Quezada led off the frame with a double, he came around to score courtesy of a double to left by Jimenez Jr. to allow the Express to regain the lead at 9-8. Jimenez Jr. reached third thanks to a single by Espinal and then scored on a passed ball to extend Monroe's lead to 10-8.
 
Hernandez continued his stellar performance on the mound for the Express by tossing two more scoreless innings (the seventh and eighth). 
 
Entering the top of the ninth, Monroe still had a 10-8 advantage. Nassau did not go down without a fight as a double, wild pitch, and an RBI single pulled the visiting team to within one, at 10-9, with a runner on first and nobody out. The Express made a call to the bullpen and Lopez entered the game to try and close it out. He walked the first batter to set up runners on first and second and nobody out. The lead runner at Nassau tried to steal third but Perez threw the ball to Flores who tagged him out. The runner at first advanced to second on the throw. Then, Lopez finished strong by striking out the final two batters of the game to clinch the important regional victory for the Express.
 
During the game, Espinal went 3-for-4 with four stolen bases and a walk. Perez drew a walk and picked up a stolen base. Ortiz Torres and Alicea Albertorio each picked up a pair of hits. Jimenez Jr. earned a base on balls and stole two bases. 
 
Monroe – Bronx will host nationally ranked No. 14 Suffolk County Community College in a Region 15 contest on Friday at Flowers Park Baseball Field. First pitch is set for 4:00 p.m. 
 
ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MONROE COLLEGE
The athletic program at Monroe College encompasses a total of 31 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 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/X (@MonroeExpress), Instagram (@MonroeExpress), and Threads (@MonroeExpress).