FLUSHING, N.Y. - Sophomore Joe Salanitri (W. Islip, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 at the plate in Saturday's opening contest at Ray Metski Field, including a go-ahead double in the bottom of the sixth inning to lift the host Queens College baseball team to a 6-5 victory over Molloy College in East Coast Conference action.
The visiting Lions then captured a 13-2 decision in the nightcap, as the teams split the twinbill.
Game 1: Queens 6, Molloy 5
Molloy scored the first four runs of the contest off QC starter Matthew Cascello (So., Staten Island, N.Y.), as it plated a pair of runs in both the second and fifth innings. But the Knights came storming back in the bottom half of the fifth, recording five runs off Lions pitching to take a 5-4 advantage. Junior Rob Bernardo (Staten Island, N.Y.) doubled home Danny Muller (Jr., No. Babylon, N.Y.) and Steven Varela (Jr., Glendale, N.Y.) to get the scoring parade started, before Salanitri drove him home one batter later on a single to left field. Sophomore Mike Shada (Holtsville, N.Y.) knotted the game at 4-all one batter later when his double down the left-field line scored Salanitri, before Shada later stole home to put QC in front for the first time.
Molloy tied the game with a single run in the top of the sixth, setting the stage for Salanitri's clutch two-bagger in the bottom half that scored Muller with the go-ahead run. Varela came on in the seventh inning to earn his second save of the year, inducing a 6-4-3 double play to wrap things up.
Game 2: Molloy 13, Queens 2
The Lions took the lead for good with a nine-run second inning, and never looked back. Freshman Nick LoBello (Baldwin, N.Y.) singled home Muller in the bottom of the fifth inning for the Knights, before Muller came home once more in the seventh frame when senior Eddie Torres reached on an infield error.
The two teams will complete their four-game season series Sunday at 1 p.m., when the teams play a twinbill at Mitchel Field on Long Island. The teams will make up their suspended March 21 contest first (tied 6-6 through 11 innings of play), before playing a regularly-scheduled nine-inning affair.
