BRENTWOOD, N.Y. – The Monroe College - Bronx softball team suffered two Region 15 losses to national ranked No. 10 Suffolk County Community College, 11-2 and 6-2, at Brentwood Softball Field on Saturday afternoon. As a result, the Express (11-24, 5-3 Region 15) clinch the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Region 15 Postseason, which will take place next weekend. The Sharks (9-7, 7-1 Region 15) won the regular season series over the Express, 3-1, and earn the No. 1 seed in the regional postseason. Both teams were tied for first place coming into Saturday's doubleheader.
 
The Express struck first in the top of the first inning of game one as an RBI single off the bat of sophomore first-base student-athlete Angelica Uribe-Perez scored rookie center fielder Ciara Harriott from third to give the Blue and Gold a 1-0 lead. 
 
The Sharks answered back in the bottom frame as a two-run homer to left by sophomore second-base player Kaylin McDonald gave the home team a 2-1 lead. Suffolk County padded its lead with two runs in the bottom of the third, capped off by McDonald's RBI double, to put Monroe in a 4-1 hole.
 
The Express inched closer in the top of the fourth as rookie second-base player Sonia Rosa drilled an RBI double to left which scored classmate Lauren Vuorinen all the way from first to slice Monroe's deficit to 4-2. However, Suffolk County broke the game open in the bottom frame by scoring seven runs to inflate its cushion to 11-2. That ended up being the final score. 
 
Second-year pitcher Laci Edwards earned the complete-game win in the circle for the Sharks, as she struck out five batters and gave up just two earned runs in five innings pitched.
 
For the Express at the plate, rookie shortstop Brendalie Oliviery-Baker singled and walked. Harriott and Vuorinen picked up a base hit with the former reaching first with a walk. Uribe-Perez and first-year left fielder Jaliyah Rosario each earned a base on balls, with the latter stealing a base.
 
In game two, McDonald struck again in the bottom of the first with an RBI single to give the Sharks a 1-0 lead. 
 
Uribe-Perez settled down in the circle after that, for the Express, as she pitched scoreless frames in the second, third, and fourth to keep Monroe's deficit at 1-0.
 
The Express' lineup pushed across a run in the top of the fifth, thanks to Oliviery-Baker scoring from third on a wild pitch to tie the game at one. 
 
The Sharks answered immediately in the bottom of the fifth by scoring four runs, capped off by McDonald's second two-run homer of the doubleheader, to jump out to a 5-1 benefit. The home team added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth, thanks to an RBI double by Edwards to extend Suffolk County's advantage to 6-1.
 
The Express scored one run in the top of the seventh, courtesy of an RBI single off the bat of sophomore infielder Hilda Sanchez, to pull Monroe to within four. It was not enough as Suffolk County closed the game out and earned its second win of the afternoon.
 
For the Sharks, freshman pitcher Sofia Stampfli earned the win in the circle by giving up just one earned run in 4.1 innings pitched. 
 
For the Express at the plate, Oliviery-Baker went 3-for-4, including a double, and stole a base. Freshman right fielder Amandy Rodriguez hit a double and singled, while Harriott produced a pair of base hits and stole a bag. Rosario and Sanchez each went 2-for-4, while Vuorinen and Uribe-Perez each singled and earned a base on balls. Rosa walked three times. Freshman catcher Brianna Talley worked a walk of her own.
 
Monroe – Bronx will continue the home stretch of the regular season by hosting nationally ranked No. 8 Community College of Rhode Island on Sunday afternoon at Flowers Park. First pitch of the doubleheader is set for 1:00 p.m. It will be Sophomore Day as Herleen Castillo, Ciara Aviles, Sanchez, and Uribe-Perez will be honored with a ceremony prior to the start of the opening game. 

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).