FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Queens College softball team wrapped up its 2012 home slate Saturday afternoon, as the Knights won two out of three East Coast Conference games against visiting New York Institute of Technology. For starters, the teams continued their suspended game from March 29 at NYIT, and the Knights picked up a 7-5 victory in eight innings.
In the teams' regularly-scheduled twinbill, the Bears scored a 1-0 decision in the opener, before Queens held on for a 5-4 decision in the nightcap.
With the two victories on the day, interim head coach John Pisano's Knights (18-14, 11-13 ECC) are now three games ahead of both NYIT and Mercy in the loss column heading into the final week of the regular season. Unofficially, should Queens win one of its remaining four ECC tilts (two at Mercy on Tuesday; two at Bridgeport next Saturday), it would qualify for the four-team ECC Championships (April 26-28, at top seed).
Continuation of March 29 contest: Queens 7, NYIT 5 (8 inn.)
The game continued in the top of the eighth inning, with QC ahead by a 6-5 count following a leadoff homer by freshman Samantha Mattsson (Staten Island, N.Y.), her first collegiate long ball, before the original contest was suspended due to darkness. The Knights added one more run in their half of the inning when freshman Sara Schendel (Seattle, Wash.), pinch-hitting, singled home classmate Jennifer Shereyka (Parlin, N.J.)
Freshman pitcher Isabelle Yaroch (Annandale, Va.), who had come on in relief before game was suspended, forced the Bears into three ground outs to secure the victory.
Mattsson and sophomore Kaitlyn Crowley (Patchogue, N.Y.) had three hits apiece for Queens, while Shereyka had a pair of doubles. Fellow freshman, Nicole Pirretti (E. Northport, N.Y.) had two hits, including one two-bagger.
Game 1 of originally scheduled doubleheader: NYIT 1, Queens 0
Crowley went 2-for-3 to lead an eight-hit attack for the Knights, but the Bears picked up the win with the game's only run in the top of the fourth inning.
Yaroch scattered four hits and struck out six in taking the loss for QC.
Game 2: Queens 5, NYIT 4
Two runs in the bottom of the first and three in the second pushed the Knights out in front by a 5-0 count in support of starting pitcher, sophomore Nicole Turato (Garden City, N.Y.; 4-plus IP, 6 H, 3 ER, 3 K). Schendel lofted a sacrifice fly to score Mattsson, while Caroline Carbone (E. Williston, N.Y.) singled home Shereyka in the first inning.
In the second frame, Schendel reached on a two-out error that scored sophomore Melissa Natale (Yaphank, N.Y.), before freshman Monique Roberge (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) doubled home Schendel and Mattsson one batter later.
NYIT scored three runs in the top of the third to pull within two, and then tacked on one more in the sixth against Yaroch, who came on in relief two batters into the fifth stanza. Then with two away in the bottom of the seventh, Roberge made a heads-up throw from first to home plate following an infield error, cutting down the potential tying run and ending the game.
Shereyka went 2-for-3 at the dish in the nightcap for the Knights, who are back in ECC action Tuesday afternoon in a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Mercy.
