FLUSHING, N.Y.- On a sunny Saturday afternoon baseball returned to Flushing as the Queens College Baseball team swept the Saturday afternoon East Coast Conference (ECC) doubleheader against the visiting Purple Knights of the University of Bridgeport. The Knights would a complete a 4-2 comeback in game one before junior pitcher Rob Backus (Merrick, N.Y.) pitched a masterful one-hit and career-high 10 strikeouts in the game two 2-0 shutout win to complete the sweep. 
 
With the win, the Knights improve to 3-2 overall, 2-1 in ECC play. While the Purple Knights moved to 1-2 overall, 1-2 in ECC. With the Saturday sweep, the Knights win their first conference series over the Purple Knights since the 2009 season. 
 
Game One: Queens College 4, Bridgeport 2
 
Queens found themselves trailing 2-0 after three innings of play as Bridgeport tallied a run the opening frame of the game off starter Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.) who made his second start of the year. They would double the advantage in the third inning after a run-down between second and first base allowed the runner on third base to plate home. 
 
Queens were held hitless until the sixth inning of play as Bridgeport starter Andrew Fancella kept the Knights at bay. Trailing 2-0, junior shortstop Corey Tingo (Selden, N.Y.) (2-3 AB) singled to center field to give the Knights their first hit of the day. Freshman Jordan Ramlogan (Hicksville, N.Y.) battled Fancella in a 11-pitch at bat as the Knights looked to come back in the game. But an error by the third basemen put runners on second and first before a successfully executed bunt by freshman Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, R) would load the bases. Next at-bat freshman Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.) reached on a fielder's choice as Brideport got their first out of the inning at home plate. With the bases still loaded, freshman Andrew Smith (Hampton Bays, N.Y.)  (1-4 AB, 2RBIs, R) would tie the game with a two- RBI single as Diez and Ramlogan touched home. 
 
With the game tied and only one out, freshman Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, 2B, 2RBIs, 2BB) knocked his first double of the season with a blast to right field for a two-RBI hit to give the Knights a 4-2 advantage effectively ending Fancella day on the mound. Relived by Justin Nyarady, Bridgeport would get the remaining two outs but the damage had been effectively done. 
 
After reliever sophomore Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (1-0, 1.0 IP, 2H, 2K) worked out a two-hit sixth inning frame, putting him in position for his first win of the season. With a 4-2 lead now in thier hands, the Knights turned to relievers senior Dimitri Papazoglou (Bellerose, N.Y.) (0.2 IP, H, 2 K) and junior Dylan Hughes (Merrick, N.Y.) making his first appearance of the season out of the bullpen to close out the game. The two would combine three innings of work with the Merrick native working 2.1 innings, allowing one hit, a walk to go with four strikeouts to earn his first save of the season. 
 
Earning the no-decision, Pulsipher worked 5.0 IP allowing three hits, ER and career-high eight strikeouts on the day. On the day, Queens struck out 16 batters, the most since April, 5, 2014 when they struck out 17 Bridgeport batters in 1-0 shutout win.
 
Game Two: Queens College 2, Bridgeport 0
 
The nightcap brought a different native for the Knights as ace Backus making his second start of the season settled in from the first pitch. But one of the biggest play of the game came in the top half of the second inning as Bridgeport's Andre Marchesseault hit a clear home-run to left field but never touched home plate allowing the Knights to get the first out of the inning. 
 
The Merrick native would go onto retire the 13 batters in a row including striking out the side in the third and fifth inning. After getting the first two outs of the sixth frame and looking at his fourth straight 1-2-3 inning, a pitch just missed the corner as Jake Woods out a seven-pitch at bat for a walk. Unfazed, the righty would get Donnelly to a roll a ball to second baseman freshman James Mahoney (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-3 AB) in his first start of the season as the Knights defense prevented any further damage. 
 
With the game still scoreless, Smith (2-3 AB) singled through the right side for his second hit of the game. After Sakellarides reached on a fielder choice but advance to second a wild throw that left the field of play, the Knights had a runner in scoring position for the fourth time in the game. With two-outs, freshman Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch before Tingo battled a seven-pitch at bat for a walk to load the bases to bring up freshman Evan Christopher ((North Babylon N.Y.). But Bridgeport turned to closer Justin Hafele to keep the game scoreless, but the North Babylon native was not going to let Backus hard work go to waste as he laced a first pitch from Hafele to center-field for a two-RBI single to give the Knights the runs they needed to compete the sweep. 
 
With Backus's (1-0, 6.0 IP, H, B, 10 K) day complete, Queens turned to freshman Danny Gargano (Middle Island, N.Y.) to close out the game. Gargano would get Conall Roberts to foul out to Hoskins by the first base foul line, before inducing Matt Rodriguez to fly out to Smith in right field. Marchesseault would single through the left side just evading a diving Christopher as Bridgeport put just their third runner on base of the game. But Gargano shut out any comeback tempt by the Purple Knights with Anthony Pascale facing 1-2 count to fly out to Smith earning the first save of his career. 
 
The Knights earned their first shut-out win of the season and kept the Bridgeport bat quiet for the first time since Knights Jonathan Russell pitched a seven inning complete-game in the 1-0 victory over the Purple Knights in head coach Chris Reardon debut season in charge of the Knights.
 
UP NEXT: Conference play continues on Thursday, Apr. 1 in Flushing as Queens welcomes Molloy College Lions (6-5 overall, 3-0 ECC) in game one of the three-game series. First pitch slated for 3 p.m. 
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