FLUSHING, N.Y. (Mar. 31, 2019) - Despite taking a 5-4 lead in the bottom of the eighth inning, the Queens College baseball team could not keep NYIT from tying and eventually winning Sunday's (Mar. 31) series finale at Hennekens Stadium as the Bears posted a three-run ninth inning to claim a 7-5 victory over the Knights in East Coast Conference action.

Queens (12-11-1, 3-5 ECC) took the early lead in the bottom of the first inning in what was a rainy and windy start to the Sunday afternoon contest. Joe O'Rourke's two-out double past the first baseman and down the right-field line brought home Jon Strauss with the game's opening run. NYIT (15-5, 7-1 ECC) surged in front in the next half-inning as Matt Malone swatted a pitch from QC starter Michael Lamneck over the left-field wall for a two-run home run to give the Bears a 2-1 lead that proved to be short-lived. In the bottom of the frame, Queens scored twice with an infield hit by Ron Linsalato scoring Jayson Rodopoulos as the Knights re-took the lead by a 3-2 margin. The score remained the same going into the sixth inning, as NYIT tied it in the top of the frame. With Kieran Dowd on third, Malone chopped a pitch weakly to the left of the mound that Lamneck fielded and tossed to first for the out. An astute Dowd seized on the opportunity and raced home, with the throw coming in from the first-base bag too late. 

The Knights manufactured the go-ahead run in the bottom of the seventh inning, getting the job done with no outs in the frame against NYIT starter Moises Robles. Louis Antos led off the inning being hit by a pitch and he advanced to second on O'Rourke's single to left. Eric Roubal then laid down a perfect bunt in front of home plate, with Malone electing to attempt to get the runner out at third base only to have the throw pop out of the glove of Dowd to keep the bases loaded. Matt Gutleber---the walk-off hero of Friday's 10-9 win---shot a 1-0 offering into right field to plate Antos and give Queens a 4-3 lead, but the Knights would leave the bases loaded after three consecutive outs. The Bears scratched across a run in the top of the eighth which was negated on an RBI single by Roubal in the bottom of the frame. However, NYIT would score three times in the top of the ninth with Chris Campbell's two-run triple to left-center providing the difference. Queens had two runners in scoring position in the bottom of the ninth after two-out hits by Brian Watters and Strauss at the top of the line-up but Bears closer Ariel Taveras induced a ground-out by Ron Linsalato to end the contest.

Strauss had three hits for the Knights while O'Rourke had two hits with a run batted in. Lamneck pitched into the eighth inning for Queens, striking out seven batters in taking the no-decision.

Queens will play a midweek non-conference contest against Caldwell on Tuesday (Apr. 2) at Hennekens Stadium with first pitch set for 3 p.m.