FLUSHING, N.Y. – After having their 2020 season cut short due to the global pandemic, the Queens College Knights were in a must-win situation in their final game of the regular season against the visiting and fellow CUNY member College of Staten Island Dolphins on Saturday afternoon at Hennekens Stadium. 
 
After the University of Bridgeport won their last East Coast Conference (ECC) match over Lincoln University, the Knights needed to sweep the Dolphins to get into the postseason. The Knights won game one 6-3 and needed to win the nightcap to keep their season going.
 
As the 2020 season was canceled after just 12 games and as game two went into extra innings, freshmen Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.) was not ready to call it quits on Saturday afternoon. With the game tied 3-3, a runner on first, the Bronx native blasted a home run over the left-center field to extend their season for a 5-3 win and booked a spot in ECC playoffs. 
 
With the DH sweep, the Knights finished the regular season with a 14-11 overall record, 12-9 in ECC, while the Dolphins conclude their season with a 7-17 overall record and 6-15 in conference play. 
 
Game One: Queens: 6, Staten Island 3
 
Once again, the Knights had seven players record hits in game one as freshman Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (3-4 AB, 2R, BB) led the way with his second three-hit performance of the season, while classmate Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, 2B, R, 2RBI, BB) produced his fifth multi-hit game and a team-high two-RBI performance.
 
After two and half of scoreless play, the Knights took the early lead and never let go. With one out, Diez singled through the left side before Hoskins singled to the shortstop allowing Diez to advance to third. With a single through the right side freshmen Andrew Smith (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, R, 2RBI, BB) opened the scoring as Diez plated home. 
 
In the bottom of the fourth, the Knights tallied three hits scoring four runs to extend their advantage to 5-0. The home side started the inning with a single from sophomore Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y) (1-3 AB, R, BB) before a single from junior Corey Tingo (Selden, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, BB) put two runners on base. The Dolphins would get the first out before freshman Jordan Ramlogan (Hicksville, N.Y.) reached on a fielder choice but Rodopoulos would plate home taking advantage of a fielding error to give the Knights a 2-0 lead. The Knights went up 3-0 as Ramlogan scored on a wild pitch before a two-RBI double by Hoskins gave the Knights a commanding lead of 5-0. 
 
The Dolphins would respond two runs of their own in the next frame as they made the Knights pay for two fielding errors to cut the lead down to 5-2. The visitors would get within two in the top of the seventh as they tallied game one starter sophomore Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.) (W 3-2, 6.1 IP, 6H, 3ER, BB, 3K) for another three hits to end his day. The Knights turned to infielder/reliever freshman Evan Christopher (North Babylon, N.Y.) (S, 2.2 IP, 2H, 5K career-high) to close out the game. 
 
The Knights would walk in their sixth run of the game to lead 6-3 after seven complete innings of play. Christopher worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the eighth inning before the North Babylon native would pick up his first save of the season as he ended the game with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to keep their playoffs alive. 
 
Game One: Queens: 5, Staten Island 3
 
In a must-win game following Bridgeport's win over Lincoln, the Knights quickly took a 1-0 lead as Hoskins (3-4 AB, HR, 3B, 2R, RBI) scored on a wild pitch. The Knights would double their advantage in the bottom of the third as freshman Brad Sakellarides (East Moriches, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, RBI) singled through the left side plating home Diez. 
 
In the top of the fifth inning, the Dolphins cut into the deficit (2-1) with a RBI double to left center as Knights game two starter freshman John Dougherty (Kings Park, N.Y.) (ND, 5.0 IP, 3H, ER, BB, 9K) pitch count hit the high eighties. But the freshman would end the inning with his ninth strikeout of the day as he produced his one of his best outing as the Knights were just six out way of making the conference playoffs. 
 
In the bottom of the fifth, Hoskins extended the lead (3-1) with his first career home run to left-center. But the Dolphins added drama on senior day as they looked to spoil the Knights chance of another postseason spot in potentially two full seasons. The Knights turned to senior reliver Dimitri Papazoglou (Bellerose, N.Y.) (W, 1-1, 3.0 IP, 6H, 2ER 4K) to close out the game. But the Dolphins would knot the game 3-3 as they tallied the senior for four hits. 
 
The Knights would leave the winning run of first base as Sakellarides fouled out in the left field territory to extend the seven-inning game into extras! With one out, the Dolphins would put a runner on first base with a single to center field but the Bellerose native prevented any further damage as he got the two last two out. 
 
In the bottom of the eighth inning, with one out, Tingo executed a successful bunt to reach first base to bring up Estevez (2-4 AB, HR, R, 2RBI) up to bat. The Bronx native wasted no time looking at any pitch as he took the first pitch over left-center with a two-RBI home run to take the Knights into the playoffs as the Knights won game two 5-3. 
 
Postgame comments: 
Head Coach Chris Reardon: "So happy for this group, not much time together but they made this happen and deserve every game from here on out!"
 
With the fourth and final spot clinched, the Knights will have to wait to Sunday afternoon or Monday evening to see where they travel on Friday (May. 14). 
 
Prior to the start of game one, head coach Reardon and the Knights honored their lone graduating senior Dimitri Papazoglou in their annual senior day ceremony.
 
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