FLUSHING, N.Y. – Playing in frigid conditions, the Queens College baseball team earned a non-conference doubleheader split against the Bloomfield College Bears in non-conference action at Hennekens Stadium.
The Knights fell 5-1 in game one before bouncing back with a 5-3 victory in the nightcap.
With the doubleheader split the Knights improve to 4-2 overall, while the Bears moved to 2-4 on the season.
Game One: Queens 1 Bloomfield 5
Cold as the conditions they were playing in, the Knights bats were just as unfriendly to them. The Bears would go up 1-0 in the first inning as they took advantage of a failed pickoff attempt at first base to score the runner from third.
Trailing 1-0, the Knights would leave the bases loaded in the bottom half of the third but it would just be the start of a cold Saturday afternoon.
For the second straight inning, Queens would get a chance to waken their bats. After freshman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, BB) started the home half of the fourth inning with a single to left field, classmate
Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, R) blasted a shot back to the Bears starting pitcher allowing Filip to capitalize and advance to third.
With runners on the corner, sophomore
Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-3 AB) was hit by a pitch to load the bases giving Queens a bases-loaded situation for the second straight inning. After the Bears got two straight outs, sophomore
Andrew Smith (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) (0-2 AB, RBI, 2BB) would tie the game earning a walk. But the Bears would evade any further damage getting the last out to end the inning.
But the Bears would capitalize on three fielding errors over the next two innings to seal the game with a 5-1 game 1 victory over Queens.
The Knights would leave 13 runners on base as they were unable to find their offense in the first game.
Game Two: Queens 5 Bloomfield 3
After a scoreless first inning, Queens would get on the board first in the bottom of the second half. With one out, Cisco (1-2 AB, RBI, R) tallied his third hit of the day to keep the inning going. But the Bears would get the second out and looked to have gotten out of the inning without any damage. But the center fielder would drop a fly ball as Cisco circled the bases to put the Knights up 1-0.
Graduate student
Julien Arcos (Glenwood, N.Y.) (W, 1-0, 5.2IP, 8H, ER, BB, 6K) earned his second start and got through two innings before the Bears offense tallied three straight hits with two outs to knot the game 1-1. But Arcos would end the inning with his fourth strikeout of the game to prevent any further damage.
But Queens would quickly regroup and retake the lead in the bottom half of the third as Cisco delivered with a sac fly to put the Knights up 2-1 after three innings of play.
With Arcos dealing through four innings, the Knights would deliver in the home half of the fourth to give their starting pitcher more breathing room. With one out,
Joseph Cornielle (Bayside, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, R, SB) stole second base and capitalize on a throwing error to score giving the Knights a 2-1 lead.
After the Bears got the second out of the inning, the Knights would earn two walks putting runners on first and second. But a failed pickoff attempt, Queens would advance their runners to the corners.
The Knights would take advantage of a passed ball and another throwing error by the Bears catcher to extend their advantage to 5-1 after four innings of play.
Dealing with a 5-1 lead, Arcos would get out of the fifth inning allowing only one hit. The Knights would leave two runners on base in the bottom half as the sun started to set.
The Glenwood native came out for the sixth inning and quickly got the first out with a grounder to Cisco. After walking the next batter, Bears looked to have put runners on the corner but the Knights would get the second out at second base on a timely throw from right fielder Diez.
But the Bears tallied back-to-back hits as they cut into the Knights advantage down to 5-3 ending Arcos outing.
The Knights went to junior lefty
Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) to seal the game and the Queens native delivered on a 0-2 count as he induced a fly out to center field to earn his first save of the season giving the Knights 5-3 win and a Saturday split to open the homestand.
UP NEXT: Baring any rain Sunday (Mar. 6) the Knights will conclude the series against the Bears with a single nine-inning game. First pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
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