FLUSHING, N.Y. – Surrounded by partly cloudy but chilly conditions, the Queens College softball team battled to earn their second East Coast Conference doubleheader split of the season as the Knights defeated the visiting Mercy College Mavericks Saturday afternoon at QC Softball Field.
The Knights would drop game one 6-1 before the offense clicked in game two to win the nightcap 5-4.
The Mavericks tacked on four early runs in the top of the first inning before the Knights cut the deficit down to 4-1. But the offense would be limited to three hits as they were unable to rally back as the Mavericks tacked on two additional runs in the top of the sixth to win 6-1.
Queens' offense would wake up in game two as both team combined for 22 hits with senior
Danielle D'Angelo (Middle Island, N.Y.) (3-3 AB, 2B, HR, 3RBI, 3R), freshman
Caroline Pescatore (North Babylon, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2B, R), junior
Jenny Murphy (East Islip, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2B) leading the way. While senior
Ann Grimshaw (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B, RBI), and sophomore
Arianna Fracchioni (Westbury, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI) combined for two RBIs.
After Fracchioni worked out of a lead-off single to keep the game scoreless, it was the Knights who struck first as they took a 2-0 after one complete inning of play. Junior
Cyarra Alvarado (Coral Spring, Fla) opened the home half of the first inning getting hit by a pitch on the second pitch before Pescatore doubled through the right side to advance Alvarado to third.
D'Angelo would put the Knights up 1-0 with a RBI single through the left side as Alvarado plated home. With runners on the corners, the Mavericks would get Pescatore stealing home for the first out, but D'Angelo would advance to second.
The Middle Island native would steal third base before Fracchioni helped her own cause with a RBI single to center field to score D'Angelo from third putting the Knights up 2-0.
As Fracchioni worked out of trouble, the Knights would help their pitcher with two more runs in the bottom of the third to take a 4-0 lead. After Pescatore singled to the pitcher, she would take advantage of a fielding error to advance to second base as the Mavericks infield was unable to make a play.
But D'Angelo wasted no time looking at pitches as she blasted a rocket to the parking lot off the first pitch for a two-RBI home run to right-center for her second home run of the season to put the Knights up 4-0 after three complete innings of play.
But the Mavericks would cut the deficit in half in the top of the fourth tallying two hits but a fielding error would allow Mercy to bring the score down to 4-2.
After the Knights were unable to answer in the home half of the fourth as they left a runner on second, the Mavericks cut the score down to 4-3 on three hits. But Fracchioni
(W, 2-3, 5.0 IP, 10H, ER, K) would leave two Mavericks stranded in scoring position to keep the home side ahead by one 4-3.
But D'Angelo continued to perfect day in game two as she notched a double down the left-field line for her third hit of the nightcap to open the bottom half of the fifth inning. Grimshaw staring at a 1-2 count put the Knights up 5-3 with a RBI double to center field as D'Angelo scored from second.
Leading 5-3, the Mavericks would open the top of the sixth with a single before the Knights' coaching staff turned to junior pitcher
Myaisha Kelly (Albany, N.Y.) to relieve Fracchioni. Kelly would deliver as she got the first out with a strikeout before getting back-to-back grounders to end the inning.
Down to their three outs and looking to bring the Knights back up to bat in the seventh, the Mavericks tallied back-to-back hits with a double and a RBI single to cut the Knights' advantage down to 5-4.
Queens wasted no time turning to ace pitcher
Emma Wimmer (Mount Sinai, N.Y.) to close out the game for the second weekend in a row as the Mount Sinai native made her second appearance of the afternoon.
Wimmer would deliver out of the bullpen with three outs including a strikeout to end the game as the senior earned her second save of the save.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Amy Delmore and the Knights continue conference play as they travel to Sparkill, N.Y. Monday (Apr. 11) afternoon with a match-up against St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans. The first pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.
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