DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – As the regular season starts to wind down, the Queens College softball team earned an East Coast Conference series split against the Mercy College Mavericks Thursday afternoon at Smith Field.
Queens would fall 8-0 (five innings) in game one as they were limited to one hit before rallying back to defeat Mercy in the nightcap to the score of 4-3.
With the split, the Knights improved to 6-13 in ECC play, while the Mavericks moved to 8-10 in conference play.
With the game two victory, Queens ended a seven-game losing streak in Dobbs Ferry as the Knights picked up their first victory at Smith Field for the first time since the 2017 season when they earned a split on March 29, 2017.
In the nightcap, the offense tallied eight hits for four runs led by multi-hit games from freshman
Amanda Baez (Selden, N.Y.) (3-4 AB, 2B, 2R) who tallied her first career three-hit performance while senior
Marisa Sagona (North Babylon, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2RBIs) tallied her fourth multi-hit and second multi-RBI game of the season.
While in the circle game two starter
Arianna Fracchioni (Westbury, N.Y.) put in a dual performance as she pitched
(W, 4-5, 7.0 IP, 6H, ER, 4BB, 2K) a complete game victory limiting the Mavericks to six hits, while offensively
(1-4 AB, 2RBI, R) knocking in her second career multi-RBI game as she drove in the tying runs.
For the second straight game, the Mavericks took a 2-0 lead after two complete innings of play before the Knights offense clicked.
Queens opened the top of the third with a base runner as freshman
Emma Zumpol (Patchogue, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, R, BB) drew a walk before Mercy got the first out. But Baez would single through the right side as the Knights had runners on second and first with one out.
Fracchioni looked at the first ball go for a strike before tying the game with a two-RBI single to right-center on the next pitch. But the Mavericks would avoid further damage as they left Fracchioni stranded at second as they got the last two outs.
As Fracchioni worked a clean inning in the bottom of the third, the Knights opened the fourth frame with back-to-back singles but Mercy would once again avoid damage to get out of the inning.
After getting the first out, the Mavericks would put a runner on a second with a double before a walk had two bases runners for the home side. But the defense would work out of trouble as they got the last two outs to keep the game tied 2-2 heading into the top of the fifth.
Baez opened the fifth with her third hit of the game as she singled down the left-field line before Fracchioni reached on a throwing error but the error would allow Baez to advance to third. As the Mavericks got the first out of the inning, the Westbury native would steal second as the Mercy defense was unable to make a clean play. With the double play negated, the Mavericks would get the second out as they were one out away from keeping the game tied.
However, Sagona had other ideas as the senior delivered with a two-RBI single to center field to give the Knights a 4-2 lead.
Leading for the first time on the afternoon Fracchioni quickly erased the first two batters on three pitches. But the Mavericks would get a two-out single before a walk put the tying run at first.
A Knights fielding error would load the bases as the Fracchioni strike zone started to shrink as Mercy cut Queens' advantage down to 4-3 as the righty allowed her second walk of the inning. But she would get the third out by inducing the seventh batter of the inning to fly out to Baez in right field.
Queens were unable to extend their advantage in the top of the sixth but Fracchioni and her defense would work a clean sixth inning as Mercy were down to their last three outs.
Fracchioni returned to the circle determined to end the game on her own and quickly retired the first two outs on four pitches.
A Mavericks double would extend the game and put the tying run in scoring position but an unfazed Fracchioni would end the game with a grounder to second base as the Knights earned a series split against Mercy on the season with a 4-3 game two victory.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Amy Delmore and the Knights continue conference play on Saturday (Apr. 23) afternoon as they travel to Buffalo, N.Y. with a matchup against D'Youville University Saints. The first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
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