ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y.- The Queens College Knights softball team hit the road to Rockville Centre to kick off the final week of regular season play as they concluded their East Coast Conference (ECC) series against the Molloy College Lions (8-6 ECC) in a Tuesday afternoon doubleheader at Bob Klein Field.
The Knights (2-16 ECC) were held to a combined nine hits as they dropped both ends of the doubleheader. The Knights dropped game one 3-2 as the Lions won a walk-off hit in the bottom of the seventh inning before being shut out 5-0 in the nightcap.
In game one, the Knights were led by senior
Jessica Hickey (Long Island City, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2B, R) as she tallied two hits, while freshman
Kristina Verruso (Whitestone, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B, RBI) drove in one run.
In the nightcap, senior
Ann Grimshaw (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) (2-3 AB) led the way with two hits, while junior
Noelle Bryggman. (Huntington, N.Y) (1-3 AB) and sophomore
Jenny Murphy (East Islip, N.Y.) (1-3 AB) knocked in a single apiece.
The offense left a combined 10 runners on base in the losses.
Game One: Queens College 2, Molloy 3
The Knights took an early 1-0 lead as senior
Marisa Sagona (North Babylon, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, R, BB) earned a one-out walk. Next batter Murphy laced a single to center field before advancing to second base on a fielding error by the Lions center fielder which allowed Sagona to plate home to give the Knights a 1-0 lead.
Once again fielding errors came back to hurt the Knights as the Lions tied the game 1-1 in the home half of the second inning. In the bottom of the fourth, the Lions tallied two hits to score one run as they took their first lead of the day.
Trailing 2-1, the Knights would respond in the next frame. With two outs, Hickey doubled to left-center to keep the Knights alive. Verruso knotted the game 2-2 as she laced the first pitch for a RBI double to center field as Hickey rounded the bases to score from second.
The Knights would strand a total of three runners in the next two innings as they were unable to take advantage of two runners in scoring position. In the bottom of the seventh, the Lions would steal game one 3-2 with three straight hits as they walked off with a single through the right side.
Game One: Queens College 0, STAC 6
After another closely contested game one loss, the Lions shut down the Knights offense in game two to sweep the Tuesday afternoon doubleheader 5-0.
The Knights looked to take another early as they threatened in the top of the second inning. They started the inning with back-to-back hits by Grimshaw and Murphy. With no outs and two runners on base, the Knights were looking to break the game open but the Lions defense would keep the visitors quiet as they got the next three outs to keep the game scoreless.
The Lions tallied five runs on six hits in the next two innings to take a 5-0 lead. In the top half of the sixth, the Knights attempted to start a two-out rally as they put two runners on base once again. But they would fall short as they were unable to avoid the Tuesday afternoon sweep.
UP NEXT: Continuing conference play, the Knights welcome Mercy College Mavericks for a Thursday (Apr. 29) afternoon doubleheader. Game one is slated for 2:30 p.m. start time.
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