STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.- It took two extra-inning games in Staten Island but the Queens College Knights softball team split the Saturday afternoon East Coast Conference (ECC) doubleheader against fellow CUNY member College of Staten Island Dolphins at CSI Softball Complex. 
 
Both games needed an extra inning of play as Queens took game one 4-2 in the eighth inning before the Dolphins walked off in a 10-9 win in the nightcap. 
 
With the split, the Knights moved to 2-8 ECC, while the Dolphins moved to 3-8 in ECC play. 
 
Game One: Queens College 4, Staten Island 2 (8 Innings)
 
After two quiet innings of play, the Knights struck first as they opened the scoring books in the top of the third. With one out, freshman Cyarra Alvarado (Coral Springs, Fla) (1-2 AB, 2B, R) doubled to left field to put their fourth runner on base in the game as next batter senior Danielle D'Angelo, (Middle Island, N.Y.) earned a walk. With runners on second and first, classmate Marisa Sagona (North Babylon, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, R, RBI) singled through the right side as Alvarado plated home to give the Knights an early 1-0. After Sagona stole second base for her fifth steal of the year, senior Ann Grimshaw (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, RBI) singled to center field to double the Knights advantage as D'Angelo scored from third. 
 
The Dolphins responded in the bottom of the fourth inning as they tallied Knights game one starter sophomore Emma Wimmer (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) (2-3, 8.0 IP, 9H, 2R, 2ER, 2BB, 6K) for two runs on three hits to tie the game 2-2. But Mount Sinai native and the Knights defense kept themselves in the game as they searched for runs.
 
In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Dolphins put a runner on first with a successfully executed bunt before a sac bunt advanced the runner to second. The Dolphins would tally a hit to put two runners on base but the Knights defense did not allow the runner on second to advance. With runners on second and first and only one out. Wimmer kept the home side quiet as she struck out the next batter before getting a grounder to take the game into extra innings. 
Feeding off of their starter, Sagona started the eighth inning with a single to the shortstop. But the Dolphins would get the next two batters outs. Down to their last out, sophomore Jenny Murphy (East Islip, N.Y.) (1-4, 3B, R, RBI) gave the Knights a 3-2 lead with a triple down the right field line as Sagona scored from first base. Next batter, senior Jessica Hickey (Long Island City, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B, RBI, BB) picked the perfect time for her first hit of the afternoon with a double to left field as Murphy scored to give the Knights a 4-2 lead. 
 
The Dolphins would not go away easy as an error by the third basemen would allow the home side to put a runner on base. But Wimmer struck out the next batter on three straight pitches before the next two Dolphins batters worked walks to load the bases. With the tying run at second and winning at first and only out, the Dolphins were unable to find grass as Wimmer got the next two batters to line out in back-to-back pitches to seal the 4-2 win for the Knights. 
 
Game One: Queens College 9, Staten Island 10 (8 Innings)
 
After a quiet 4-2 game one, the nightcap brought forward an offensive onslaught as both sides combined for 19 runs on 26 hits. 
 
Once again the Knight would take an early lead as junior Noelle Bryggman (Huntington, N.Y) (3-5 AB, 2R, BB) worked a walk to start the game. After the Dolphins walked D'Angelo and got Sagona (3-4 AB, 2B, R, RBI, BB) to pop out at second base for the second out, Grimshaw would single up the middle to plate home Bryggman giving the Knights a 1-0 lead. Hickey (1-4 AB, 2RBI, BB) would extend the advantage to 3-0 with a two-RBI single to left field. 
 
Trailing 3-0, the Dolphins would respond with a run of their own on the Knights game two starter freshman Arianna Fracchioni (Westbury, N.Y.) (ND, 4.1 IP, 11H, 9R, 6ER, 4BB, 3K) with three straight hits. But Fracchioni would keep the lead intact as she got the next two batters to pop out to end the inning. 
 
However, the Dolphins would take advantage of three Knights fielding errors to score five runs on six hits to take a 6-3 lead after three innings of play.
 
But the Knights were not to be outdone as they would respond with three runs of their own to tie the game. Fracchioni (1-3 AB, R) in the hitting line for the first time in this season earned her first career hit with a single to center field to start the one-out rally. After classmate Alyssa Wilkinson (Bayside, N.Y.) (1-5 AB, RBI) flew out to center field for the second out, Bryggman would single to shortstop to put runners on second and first. Alvarado (1-6 AB, 2B, R, 2RBI) looking at a 0-1 count blasted a two-RBI double to left-center field to bring the Knights within one (6-5). Alvarado would advance to third on a passed ball before a RBI single from Sagona to right-center field would knot the game at 6-6 
 
In the top of the fifth inning, Murphy (1-4 AB, 2B, 2R) would start the inning with a double to right-center before a Fracchioni grounder advanced her to third. Wilkinson would give the Knights a 7-6 lead with a single to third base as Murphy successfully plated home. 
 
With Fracchioni struggling with her location in the bottom of the fifth, the home side responded with three runs on three hits before Wimmer (2-4, 3.0 IP, 3H, R, ER, BB, 4K) came in relief to replace the rookie to get the last two outs. 
 
Trailing 9-7, the Knights offense took advantage of two Dolphins fielding errors to tie the game 9-9. After both sides were kept quiet in the seventh inning taking the game into extra innings for the second game in a row. With a double to start the bottom of the eighth inning, Dolphins would walk off on a fielder choice as the Knights were unable to get the out at home plate giving the home side a 10-9 win. 
 
UP NEXT: It will be a quick rest for the Knights as they continue ECC play with a Sunday (Apr. 18) afternoon DH against the visiting Purple Knights of the University of Bridgeport in Flushing. Game one is slated for noon start time. 
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