FLUSHING, N.Y.- After having four doubleheaders postponed to start the season, the Queens College Knights softball team returned to play on Saturday afternoon as they welcomed fellow CUNY member College of Staten Island Dolphins in East Coast Conference play.
The Knights dropped both ends of a doubleheader at home to the Dolphins, 6-0 and 9-4. The Knights move to 0-2 overall, 0-2 in ECC play, while the Dolphins improved to 2-2 overall, 2-2 in ECC play.
Game One: Queens College 0, Staten Island 6
Playing at home for the first time since splitting with Molloy College Lions on April 25, 2019, the rust showed as the bats were unable to get going in the first game. Senior
Danielle D'Angelo, (Middle Island, N.Y.) tallied the Knights first hit of the season with a single to right center in the home half of the first inning. But with two outs, the Knights were unable to bring D'Angelo home.
In the second inning, senior
Marisa Sagona (North Babylon, N.Y.) got her first hit of the season with a single through the left side before advancing to third base on back to back wild pitches. With a runner in scoring position and no outs, the Dolphins defense retired the next three batters in a row to leave Sagona stranded on third.
With the game still scoreless after four innings of play, the Dolphins tallied the first run of the game as the ball dropped off the glove of Sagona in left field with two outs. The Dolphins would put the game away from the Knights in the seventh inning as they extended their advantage to 6-0 off game one starter
Emma Wimmer (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) with the Knights offense limited to only four hits.
Game Two: Queens College 4, Staten Island 9
The nightcap brought an offensive narrative for both sides as they combined for 13 runs on 19 hits. The Knights found themselves trailing 2-0 after the top half of the first inning as the Dolphins tallied three hits off of game two starter freshman righty
Arianna Fracchioni (Westbury, N.Y.).
Trailing 2-0, junior shortstop
Noelle Bryggman. (Huntington, N.Y) (2-4 AB, R, SB) singled through the left side to start the home half of the first inning. After stealing second, a bunt by senior
Ann Grimshaw (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) advanced Bryggman to third with one out. The Knights cut into the deficit with a sac fly by D'Angelo to right field as Bryggman plated home to bring the Knights within one (2-1). But the Dolphins answered back with four runs in the next frame as they extended their lead to 6-1.
Down to their last six outs, Queens attempted a comeback in the sixth inning as they tallied three runs on four hits. With one out, Sagona (2-3 AB, R) singled to right field as they looked to awaken the bats. After sophomore
Jenny Murphy (East Islip, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B) lined out to center field for the second out of the inning, senior
Jessica Hickey (Long Island City, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, R) singled to first base as the Dolphins were unable to get the third out.
With two outs and runners on third and first, freshman
Riley O'Connor (Maspeth, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, R) doubled to right field for her first career hit and RBI as Sagona plated home to bring the lead down to 6-2. Next batter freshman
Alyssa Wilkinson (Bayside, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2 RBI) blasted a two RBI single through the right side as the Knights trimmed the deficit to 6-4.
Unfortunately for the Knights that would be the closest they would get as the Dolphins effectively would put the game away with three more runs in the top half of the seventh inning to sweep the Saturday afternoon doubleheader with a 9-4 win.
UP NEXT: As ECC play continues, Queens welcome Molloy for a Thursday (Apr. 8) afternoon doubleheader starting at 3 p.m.
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