FLUSHING, N.Y.- After rallying back to take a 8-7 lead after the seventh inning, the Queens College Knights baseball team surrendered three late runs to drop a 10-8 East Coast Conference (ECC) affair to the Molloy College Lions at Hennekens Stadium Monday afternoon. 
 
The loss brings the Knights to 3-5 overall, 2-4 in ECC play, while the Lions improved to 9-5 overall, 6-0 in ECC action. 
 
Queens found themselves in a quick 2-0 hole as the Molloy offense did not allow freshman starter John Dougherty (Kings Park, N.Y.) to settle in he gave up three hits for two runs after the first inning of play. 
 
The Knights would get a run back in the home half of the second inning as freshman Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to put a runner on base with no outs. After the Lions got the next two batters out, junior Corey Tingo (Selden, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B, 2RBI) scored Sakellarides with a RBI double to left field as the Knights cut the deficit to 2-1. 
 
Still struggling with his command, Dougherty (ND, 2.1 IP, 6H, 5ER, 3K) saw his day come to an end as the Lions extended their advantage with another four runs on the Kings Park native. With the Lions leading 6-1, sophomore lefty reliever Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) (ND, 3.2 IP, 3H, ER, 6K) relived the righty Dougherty to get the remaining outs to prevent any further damage.
 
In the bottom of the third inning, Queens would cut into the score as freshman Evan Christopher (North Babylon, N.Y.) worked out a walk to start the inning. The North Babylon native would advance to third following a balk and wild pitch setting up teammate Andrew Smith (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, 2B, 2RBI, R) with a runner in scoring position. Smith would bring the Knights within four runs as he blasted a shot to center field to plate home Christopher as the Knights cut the score down to 6-2. However, the Lions would tally another run in the fourth inning to extend their advantage to 7-2.
 
As Fazah kept the Lions offense quiet, the Knights mounted their comeback in the Monday afternoon affair. After Christopher grounded to third base to start the fifth frame, freshman Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, R, RBI, BB) worked a four pitch walk to bring up freshman Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, 2B, 2R) to bat. Estevez would single to center field to put runners on third and first. Next at-bat, Smith looking at a 0-2 count doubled to right field to score Diez and put Estevez on third as the deficit was cut down to 7-3. A wild pitch would allow Eztevez to plate home bringing the Knights within three (7-4) and move Smith to third. With one out and the Knights still threatening Sakellarides brought the Knights within two (7-5) with a sac fly to center field allowing Smith to score. 
 
Trailing 7-5, and the Knights getting into their groove, the Lions turned to their bullpen to slow the home side down. But freshman Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, R) had other ideas as he singled down the left field line to start the sixth inning. After Tingo popped up to shortstop for the first out, freshman Daniel Deutsch (Northport, N.Y.) (1-1 AB, 2B) made his second appearance of the season as a pinch hitter. Looking at a 1-1 count, the Northport native doubled to right center as Hoskins advanced to third before getting replaced by pinch runner freshman Jordan Ramlogan (Hicksville, N.Y.). With one out, runners in scoring position, Christopher grounded a ball to shortstop as the Lions made the second out at first base but enough time for Hoskins to plate home (7-6) as the Knights inched closer to tying the game. With the tying run at third, Diez singled through the right side to knot the game 7-7 as Ramlogan scored from third. Diez would get picked off at first to end the sixth inning but the Knights had tied the game after trailing 7-2.
 
With the game tied 7-7, junior Dylan Hughes (Merrick, N.Y.) (1-1, 2.0 IP, 5H, 3ER, 2K) replaced Fazah on the mound and worked out of a one-hit seventh inning to keep the game tied. The Lions went to their bullpen as well in the bottom of the seventh inning as they looked to keep the game knotted 7-7. Facing a full count, Estevez doubled to left center field to start the inning picking up his third straight multi-hit game. With a runner in scoring position, Smith struck the ball back to the Lions reliver but with Estevez threating to advance, the Lions tried to get the out at second base but to no avail allowing Smith to reach first base on a fielder's choice. 
 
After the Lions would get the next two batters with back-to-back strikeouts, Hoskins worked a five-pitch at bat for a walk. With the bases loaded and Tingo up at bat, the Selden native was staring at a four pitch walk before having to battle out a seven-pitch at-bat for a walk to score Estevez for their first lead (8-7) of the afternoon. But the Lions would prevent any further damage as Ramlogan struck out swinging to end the seventh inning. 
 
After mounting a comeback and Hughes in prime position to earn his first win of the season, the Lions wasted no time in retaking the lead as they tallied the righty for three straight hits for two runs to go back up 9-8. The Lions would put the game away with an insurance in the top of the ninth as Queens was unable to avoid the series sweep falling to the score of 10-8 in Flushing. 
 
UP NEXT: Queens continues their home stand as they welcome new ECC member D'Youville College Saints for a three-game weekend series starting on Friday (Apr. 9) at Hennekens Stadium. First pitch slated for 3 p.m.
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