Flushing, N.Y. - In an 11 inning East Coast Conference contest, the Queens College baseball team could not overcome adversity against the St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans. The 8-5 loss to the Spartans puts them at 8-9 in ECC play.

The Knights' resiliency was tempered by their own mistakes. In the bottom of the sixth, the Knights attempted to execute a squeeze play with the bases loaded. With CJ Gerdowsky at the dish, and Nick LoBello leading off third, Gerdowsky squared to bunt and failed to make contact through the batter's box.  With LoBello on the move, Frank Duffy advanced to third and Tim Francis moved up to second, leaving LoBello to be tagged out by STAC's Mike Russo for the second out of the inning. Still threatening, CJ Gerdowsky took a called third strike which got the Spartans out of further trouble and the game would remain tied at one.

The score would stay 1-1 until the top of the eighth inning. Joe Salinitri was on the bump for the Knights and threw over 160 pitches on the afternoon.  With one out in the eight, Salinitri gave up a solo home run to Mike Russo which put the number one team in the conference up 2-1 in the game. In the bottom of the eighth, that QC resiliency showed up, as the Knights grinded through four STAC pitchers to eventually enter the top of the ninth up 4-2. 

The bottom of the eight started with a John Eyerman hit by pitch and a laced double into right by LoBello. After STAC brought in left-handed reliever Nick May to face lefty batter Frank Duffy in the bottom of the eighth, head coach Tom Sowinski pinch-hit Duffy for a right handed hitter in Mike O'Dwyer. With two strikes against him, O'Dwyer knocked an opposite field single into right, plating John Eyerman to tie the game and Moving Lobello to third. During the next at bat, May unleashed a wild pitch to allow Nick LoBello to score the go-ahead run. The Knights would add a then-insurance run thanks to a RBI single to left by Tim Francis, which scored O'Dwyer's pinch runner John Dondero.

Up 4-2 in the top of the ninth, Joe Salinitri and the Knights looked like they would survive after all. However, a misplayed groundball at short and wild throw to first by Steve Varela with two outs led to two runs for STAC, which tied the game at four.  The score would stay that way until the top of the 11^th when Joe Salinitri surrendered the go-ahead and eventual winning run with one out. Jonathan Russell relieved Salinitri and gave up four runs in the top of the 11.

QC pushed a run across in the bottom of the 11^th.

The Knights will continue their four-game set against the Spartans tomorrow afternoon at Provident Bank Ballpark in Pomona, New York. Game one of the double-header is scheduled for 12 PM.