Martinez Walks it Off to Lift Monroe Mustangs Baseball to Home-Opener Victory over Sullivan

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y., March 10, 2020 – After SUNY Sullivan tied the game in the top of the ninth, Joshua Lopez and Jose Martinez made sure Tuesday's home opener for the Monroe College Mustangs baseball team did not get to extra innings, as they hit back-to-back doubles for a walkoff 5-4 victory for the Mustangs at Dick Caswell Field. The Mustangs improve to 6-8 overall with the win, while the Generals drop to 2-1. The Mustangs got off to a quick start in the top of the first in Tuesday's contest. Miguel Toribio led off the inning with a single into left, and then Daniel Alfonzo hit a one-out single through the left side. Lopez came through with two down in the frame, singling to center to bring in Toribio and put the Mustangs ahead, 1-0. Monroe managed to put another run on the board in the second. Jose Martinez doubled to lead off the inning. Joseph Caba drew a walk, and then a passed ball moved both runners into scoring position. A groundout to second by Emile Boies brought in Martinez from third, putting Monroe up, 2-0. The Generals got one back in the top of the fourth. Jeremia Bueno hit a single into left, and was standing on third after a groundout and a wild pitch. With two outs, Andrew Schneider pushed a single through the right side, bringing in Bueno to cut the deficit to 2-1. Lopez led off the bottom of the fourth with a single for the Mustangs. Caba later drew a one-out walk, and Boies moved both runners over with a groundout to first. Joan Sosa then came through with a two-RBI single into center, pushing Monroe's lead to 4-1. The Generals had runners on the corners with one out in the top of the fifth. Yorby Villomar then hit into a fielder's choice that brought in Assaf Lowengart to make it a 4-2 game. The Generals got on the board for the third straight inning in the top of the sixth. Schneider led off with a walk, and then Jeremie Goyer singled down the first-base line to get runners on the corners. Randy Diaz then singled to right-center, scoring Schneider to make it a one-run game. Two walks and a hit-by-pitch in the top of the ninth loaded the bases for the Generals with nobody out. Giovanni Diaz then hit a long fly ball to left, just short of the wall, leading to a game-tying sacrifice fly. The Mustangs then worked themselves out of trouble to send the game to the bottom of the ninth all knotted up at 4-4. Lopez led off the ninth with a double for the Mustangs, forcing a pitching change for the Generals. Martinez then stepped into the box and launched a double over the center fielder, bringing in Lopez to walk it off with a 5-4 victory. Vladimir Ceverino picked up his first win as a Mustang after taking over in the top of the ninth, improving to 1-2 on the season. Elvin Ramos had a solid start, tossing five innings with nine strikeouts while allowing just five hits and two runs. Angel Ventura pitched a strong seventh with two strikeouts and no baserunners, while Tomas Ramirez struck out all three batters he faced in the eighth. Sullivans' Robert Liriano shouldered the loss after being responsible for the game-winning run. Lopez had a big day at the dish, going 4-for-4 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Martinez finished 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, a run and an RBI. Sosa hit 1-for-2 and knocked in two runs. Toribio went 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Alfonzo hit 1-for-4. The Mustangs will remain at home to take on Rockland Community College on Thursday, March 12, in doubleheader (two seven-inning games) at Dick Caswell Field. Game 1 is scheduled to begin at 4 p.m. ABOUT THE ATHLETIC PROGRAM AT MON