POMONA, N.Y. – On Saturday afternoon the Queens College baseball team season came to a close as the #4 seed Knights fell 7-3 against nationally ranked #15 and #1 seed St. Thomas Aquinas Spartans at Palisades Credit Union Park in the East Coast Conference Semifinals.
 
The Knights finish with an overall record of 14-13, 12-9 in conference play producing their second winning season in a row and a trip to conference postseason play. With the series win the Spartans (25-3 overall) advance to the ECC Finals next weekend against the Molloy College Lions. 
 
In-game two in the best of three series, Queens were slated as the home side. 
 
The Knights went into game two knowing a game two loss would end their season but a win would extend the series to game three with a spot to the ECC finals on the line against the Lions. 
 
The Knights tallied nine hits on the day with All-Conference First Team Honoree Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2B, 2R, BB) and sophomore Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, SB) leading the way with multi-hit performances. Freshmen Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2RBI) drove in a team-high two runs. 
 
Head Coach Chris Reardon and the Knights turned to Second Team All-Conference Honoree sophomore lefty Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.) (3-3, 5.2 IP, 7H, 3ER 2BB) on the mound to lead the way. The Spartans quickly put a runner on base with a single to center field but the Knights executed a double play on the next play to prevent any further damage. 
 
In the bottom half of the first inning, the Knights took their first lead of the series as they tallied two hits to lead 2-0. Freshmen Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-5 AB, R) singled through the left side before Hoskins earned a walk. With no outs and two runners on a base, Rodopoulos executed a sac bunt but the Spartans misplayed the ball allowing the Scarsdale native to reach first base safely but the error allowed Diez to take advantage as he scored from second while Hoskins advanced to third. After Rodopoulos stole second, Sakellardies put the Knights up 2-0 with a single to center field scoring Hoskins from third base. 
 
Leading for the first time in the series, Pulsipher started the second inning with a walk before getting the next Spartans batter to fly out to center field. The Spartans would threaten again as the next batter singled to left center putting runners on first and second. But once again Pulsipher would get out of the inning as the Knights defense executed their second double play of the game to go unscathed. 
 
Pulsipher and the defense kept the Spartans scoreless through four complete innings of play before running into trouble in the top of the fifth inning. The Spartans would knot the game 2-2 in the fifth inning tallying three hits. 
 
In the bottom frame of the fifth, with two outs, Hoskins doubled to center field as the Knights looked to answer back. But a swing strikeout would end the fifth leaving Hoskins stranded on second. 
 
Pulsipher returned for the sixth inning and quickly got two grounders to third base as the East Moriches native looked to keep his team in the game. But a double to left field that just evaded the diving Diez from a quick 1-2-3 inning turned the game around for the Knights and thus effectively ending Pulsipher's day on the mound. 
 
The Knights turned to freshmen righty John Dougherty (Kings Park, N.Y.) to end the inning. But the Kings Park native was unable to find the strike zone as he walked three straight batters and the winning run. 
 
With Dougherty struggling for his location and the bases loaded, he was replaced by senior reliever Dimitri Papazoglou(Bellerose, N.Y.) as the Knights looked to minimize the damage.
 
Papazoglou looked to have completed the job leaving the bases loaded as the Spartans batter blasted a shot out to Rodopoulos in center field but the ball would fall out of the glove of the diving Rodopoulos allowing all three runners to plate home giving the Spartans a 6-2 lead.
 
The Spartans would add another run in the top of the eighth to extend their advantage to their 7-2.
 
But the Knights would threaten in the home half of the inning as Hoskins and Rodopoulos singled to put runners on first and second before freshmen Andrew Smith (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, BB) drew a walk to load the bases. The next batter Sakellarides would pounce on the first pitch to cut the deficit down to 7-3 as he delivered with a sac fly out to deep right field allowing Hoskins to plate home. But the Spartans would get a double play at second base as Smith got caught in two minds as he tried stealing second allowing the Spartans to get the second out and prevent any further damage. 
 
Trailing 7-3 and down to their last three outs, junior Corey Tingo (Selden, N.Y.) (1-4 AB) singled through the left side as the Knights looked to force a game three. But the Spartans pitching and run deficit would be too much for the Knights as their season would officially come to a close falling to a 7-3 defeat. 
 
For the second time in two seasons, head coach Chris Reardon and the Knights season comes to a close in conference postseason play. The Knights have finished back-to-back seasons with an overall record above .500 and made the playoffs in two straight seasons. 
 
The Knights 2021 roster says farewell to senior Dimitri Papazoglou (Bellerose, N.Y.) who is the lone senior on the squad! 
 
A full season recap will be provided in the upcoming weeks. 
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