FLEMINGTON, N.J. (Feb. 22, 2020) - The Queens College baseball team ran into a hitter-friendly jet-stream and the powerful bats of Shippensburg on Saturday (Feb. 22) as the Knights lost both ends of a doubleheader at Diamond Nation in Flemington, N.J.

Queens fell in a 19-14 slugfest to the Raiders before a 10-0 loss in the proverbial nightcap. 

Game One: Shippensburg 19, Queens (NY) 14

The Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning thanks to a two-run double by Louis Antos to give starting pitcher Dylan Hughes an early cushion. Shippensburg cut the deficit in the third inning on a Ben Werkheiser single and the Raiders would follow up with four runs in the fourth inning with Tony Vavaroutsos doubling home a pair in the frame to give the visitors a 5-2 lead. Queens tied the score in the bottom of the frame as Jon Strauss blooped a two-run double to right-center field and scored on a single by Eric Roubal but the flood-gates were only waiting to open. Shippensburg scored seven runs in the top of the fifth, with Werkheiser smashing one of his two home runs on the day to give the Raiders a 12-5 lead.

Queens scored eight runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 13-12 lead. In the inning, Matt Encizo and Anthony Scotti drove in runs with singles before a two-run home run by Antos gave the Knights the one-run edge. The Raiders scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning with Werkheiser's three-run home run being the big blow as Shippensburg remained ahead to the end of the contest.

Antos was 3-for-6 in the contest with four RBI while the top-four hitters in the line-up (Strauss, Encizo, Roubal and Scotti) each collected a pair of hits in the effort. Hughes lasted four-plus innings, yielding five earned runs on seven hits with two strikeouts before Shippensburg tagged Evan Christopher for ten runs in his one-plus innings of work. Brian Wright struck out four batters over the final two innings of play.

Werkheiser went 4-for-6 with two home runs and seven runs batted in with Vavaroutsos adding three hits and four runs batted in for the Raiders.

Game Two: Shippensburg 10, Queens (NY) 0

The Raiders jumped in front in the first inning as Logan Williamson's two-run bloop double to right-center field opened a three-run frame against Queens starter Rob Backus, who would not yield another earned run in the contest. Shippensburg scored a run in the third and two in the fourth inning while the Knights' bats went quiet against Raiders starter Kyle Lysy.

Backus threw five innings, striking out seven batters while allowing nine hits; Lysy, meanwhile, tossed a complete-game shut-out with seven strikeouts and only allowing five singles in the contest.

The Knights and Raiders reconvene on Sunday (Feb. 23) at Diamond Nation with another doubleheader, this one to begin at 11 a.m. in Flemington, N.J.