LAKEWOOD, N.J. – The 2022 softball season got underway for the Queens College softball team as they took on the Lions of Georgian Court University in non-conference action at the GCU Softball Complex.
But the bats would be limited as Queens was swept in the Thursday afternoon doubleheader as the Knights dropped the season opener to the score of 3-1 before falling 14-1 in game two.
The Knights saw 17 players make their 2022 season appearance including six players earning their debut from head coach
Amy Delmore in the Navy & Grey colors over the course of two games.
Junior
Joy Papagianopoulos (Wading River, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, BB) made her return in grand style as she tallied her first career hit in her first at-bat appearance of the season, but the Knights were unable to make further inroads as Papagianopoulos was caught stealing second base to end the first inning.
The Lions would take a 1-0 lead on two doubles as senior righty
Emma Wimmer (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) struggled in the first inning but would get out of the inning to prevent any further damage.
With the Knights trailing 1-0, Queens was unable to get the bats going in their first game of the season as they left runners on base in the first six innings of play. Wimmer
(0-1, 6.0 IP, 8H, 3ER, 4K) would settle down and find her groove as each inning progressed but with two outs in the bottom half of the fifth, she would leave a pitch hanging for the Lions to capitalize.
After getting the first two outs, she would surrender a single to center field before a grueling at-bat for the final out would result in a two-run shot over the left-field fence as the Knights found themselves trailing 3-0 after five complete innings of play.
Looking to mount a comeback in the top of the seventh, the Lions would get the first two outs before junior
Cyarra Alvarado (Coral Spring, Fla) blasted a solo shot over left-center to put the Knights on the scoreboard. Alvarado
(1-4 AB, HR, RBI, R) tallied her first career home run and the Knights' first home run of the season since the pandemic cut short 2020 season.
But it would be the only run the Knights would get on the board as they fell 3-1 in game one.
Game two was a lopsided affair for the Knights as they fell 14-1 to the Lions in five innings.
Queens tallied four hits in game two as Alvarado
(1-2 AB, BB), Papagianopoulos
(1-2 AB, RBI, BB) continued their hit streak while freshman
Caroline Pescatore (North Babylon, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, R), and
Jillian Cosme (Franklin Square, N.Y.) (1-1 AB) opened their accounts in the hits column.
But fielding errors would result in the downfall as the Knights were unable to get going who were just playing their first two games of the season against an opponent who had 12 games under their belt.
UP NEXT: On Sunday (Mar. 13) afternoon, Head coach
Amy Delmore and the Knights host their home doubleheader of the season as they welcome the Tigers of Holy Family University to Flushing. The first pitch is set for noon.
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