STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – Trailing 4-1 heading into the top of the ninth inning, the Queens College baseball team responded with five unanswered runs to defeat the Dolphins of College of Staten Island at CSI Baseball Complex Friday evening in East Coast Conference play.
As the overnight rain pushed the game back for a 5 p.m. start time, the Knights took an early lead before the Dolphins scored runs in the third and fourth inning to take a 4-1 lead. But the Knights would rally back to tie the game in the top of the ninth before scoring two runs in the tenth inning to win 6-4 for their fifth straight victory.
With the win, Queens moved to 13-9 overall, 7-0 in ECC play, while the Dolphins moved to 7-15 overall, 1-6 in conference action.
The Knights tallied nine hits led by multi-hit games from senior
Louis Antos (West Islip, N.Y) (3-5 AB, 2R), junior
Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (2-5 AB), and freshman
Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, R, BB) on the evening. Freshman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (2RBI, 2BB) led the way with two RBIs on the evening.
While the pitching duo of graduate student
Julien Arcos (Glenwood, N.Y.) (ND, 8.0 IP, 9H, 2ER, 8K) and sophomore
Danny Gargano (Middle Island, N.Y.) (W, 1-0, 2.0 IP, H, BB, 3K) combined for 11 strikeouts to lead the way.
For the third straight outing, Arcos continued to lead the way pitching seven or more innings and tallying seven or more strikeouts. In his last three games, Arcos has put in 24 innings of work to go with 26 strikeouts in conference play.
Queens took an early 1-0 lead after the top of the second inning as sophomore
Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, 2B, 2R, BB) doubled to right-center with one out. Diez would advance to third on a wild pitch before Filip gave the Knights an early 1-0 as he grounded out to shortstop but would bring the opening run of the game allowing Diez to score from third.
Staten Island responded with back-to-back innings of two runs as they took advantage of fielding errors to take a 4-1 lead.
The Dolphins would keep the Knights' offense quiet as they held them to five hits through seven innings of play.
Arcos continued to deal on the mound as he kept the Knights in a 4-1 game one. The Glenwood native would work out of a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth inning as the Dolphins looked to close out the game.
Down to their last three outs, the East Regional Player of the Week Antos singled to the shortstop to open the ninth inning before sophomore
Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B, R, 2BB) doubled to left field advancing Antos to third base.
Diez would earn a walk to load the base before Filip earned a walk to cut the deficit down to 4-2. With the bases loaded, Hoskins would score from third on a wild pitch as Queens were within one run, 4-3.
After the Dolphins walked the next batter, the Knights were in control with bases still loaded and no outs. Sophomore
Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) would tie the game 4-4 on a sac fly out to center field as Diez scored from third.
But the Dolphins would get out of the inning as they evaded further damage to keep the game tied.
Gargano would relieve Arcos as the Knights coaching staff turned to the bullpen. Gargano worked a clean bottom of the ninth to send the game into extra innings. The Knights playing their first extra-inning game of the season wasted no time in taking a lead.
Cisco began the tenth with a single to right-center field before Antos advanced Cisco to third with a single to right-center. Antos would steal second base before Cisco scored on a passed ball giving the Knights their first lead of the game since the second inning to go up 5-4.
With Antos on third, Hoskins would earn a walk before freshman
Juan De La Rosa (Dominican Republic) put the Knights up 6-4 as he brought home Antos on a sac fly to left field.
With a 6-4 lead, Gargano returned to close out the game looking for his first win of the season. He would get the first out on a grounder to shortstop before the Dolphins attempted to rally. Staten Island would get a double to center field but Gargano would strike out the next batter bringing Queens one out away from completing the rally.
The Dolphins would earn a walk as they had runners on second and first, but Gargano would shut out any attempt of a comeback as he struck out the last batter as Queens completed a 4-1 deficit to win 6-4 Friday evening.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights conclude the three-game ECC series with a Saturday (Apr. 9) afternoon doubleheader in Flushing against the Dolphins. The first pitch is set for noon.
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