FLUSHING, N.Y. – Playing in very cold March conditions, the Queens College baseball team
(15-5 overall) welcomed the Golden Falcons of Felician University
(11-18 overall) to Hennekens Stadium Thursday afternoon in non-conference play.
Matching up against the Golden Falcons for the second time in three weeks following their 4-0 shutout victory on March 16 on the road, and looking to complete the series sweep, the Knights fell behind 9-0 after five complete innings and 12-2 after seven and half of innings, but Queens offense would tally six hits for 12 unanswered runs to earn a 14-12 comeback victory Thursday afternoon.
With the win, the Knights win their first series over their non-conference foe since the 2018 season when they earned a doubleheader sweep in Flushing on April 22, 2018.
Erasing the 10-run deficit is the biggest comeback victory since the 2019 season when the Knights erased a 9-0 deficit to defeat Mercy College 20-10 on March 23, 2019.
In the last five seasons, Thursday's 12 unanswered runs are the second most run scored in program history since that comeback victory over Mercy when Queens scored 13 runs in the bottom of the fifth to earn the 20-10 victory.
With the win, the Knights improve their record to 15-5 through the first 20 games of the season.
Head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights are off to their first start in program history and match the 1998 season start when Queens went 15-5 through their first 20 games as well.
In a game where the Knights were outhit 18-10, Queens showed no quit as they were led by senior
Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.) (3-5 AB, HR, 5RBI, 3R) fourth three-hit performance and first five-RBI game of the season. While seven Knights recorded a hit each as the trio of junior
Francis Segarra (Bronxville, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, 2RBI, 2R), senior
Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, HR, 3R, 3BB) and rookie
Jorsixt Jimenez (Queens, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, 2B, 2RBI, BB) combined for six RBI on the day.
As the Felician's offense tallied 12 runs on 15 hits, senior
Stephen Castro (Bayside, N.Y.) (2.2 IP, 3H, K) would keep the visitors' offense at bay limiting them to three hits as he pitched a season-high 2.2 innings of work to earn his first win of the season.
Through the first five and a half innings of play, the Knights offense would be limited to three hits and four base runners as they faced a 9-0 deficit heading into the home half of the sixth.
Queens began the sixth with a walk before a double play saw the Knights one out way of being shut out for six straight innings.
But Fontana had other ideas as the Wantagh native tallied a single up the middle before Hoskins wasted no time looking at any pitches to blast his fourth home run of the season on the wall of P.S. 499 as the Knights cut their deficit down to 9-2 after six complete innings of play.
But the visitors would extend their lead 12-2 in the top of the seventh inning before the Knights turned to Castro to minimize the damage.
The senior would allow one hit before ending the top of the seventh with a strikeout.
A walk would begin the home half of the seventh before the visitors got the first out. But four straight walks would bring in the first run of the seventh as the Knights got the score down to 12-3.
Next batter Segarra facing a full count cut the score down to 12-5 with a two-RBI single to right field before Fontana blasted a three-run home run over right-center field as the Knights deficit was trimmed down to four, 12-8.
Queens would earn two more walks as they had officially batted around before the Golden Falcons got the second out of the inning.
Freshman
Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, RBI) third career RBI with a single through the right side would bring the Knights within three, 12-9 before Felician got out of the inning.
Queens sent 12 batters to the plate as they tallied three hits to score seven runs heading into the top of the eighth.
With the momentum turning towards the Knights way, the Golden Falcons would begin the eighth inning with a double but the defense would deliver big as Castro induced a double play with a liner to sophomore
Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, RBI, 2R, 3BB) as they caught the Felician base runner off the second base.
Castro would end the inning facing the bare minimum as he got the third batter to pop up to Fontana at first base.
Down to their six outs and Queens looking to complete a remarkable comeback, senior
Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, 2R, BB) reached first base on a fielding error before Cisco earned his third walk of the afternoon and Segarra got hit by a pitch to load the bases.
With no outs and bases loaded for the hot hitting Fontana, the senior would battle as he fought off three straight foul balls, staring at an 0-2 count, the lefty first baseman would deliver with his first five-RBI game of the season with a two-RBI single through the right side as he scored Rodopoulos and Cisco to bring the Knights within one run, 12-11.
Fontana would advance to second on a wild pitch before Hoskins earned his third walk of the day to load the bases once again and still no outs.
Bases juiced for the next batter Jimenez who was held hitless on the day while having earned one walk. The rookie was in no mood to look at any pitches as he delivered with his fifth double of the season with a blast to right field to score Segarra and Fontana as Queens had erased a 10-digit deficit to take their first lead of the afternoon to the score of 13-12.
Sophomore
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) would add an insurance run with a sac fly out to right field as Queens extended their lead to 14-12 after eight complete innings of play.
Now leading for the first time on the day, Castro returned to close out the game. The Bayside native would retire the first two batters as he got them to ground to Segarra and Patane before the dying sun would allow the Golden Falcons with a runner on first base.
Unfazed by the base runner, Castro would get the final out of the inning as the senior got the fourth batter of the inning to fly out to Jimenez to earn his first win of the season as Queens completed a tremendous 14-12 comeback victory to earn the series sweep over Felician Thursday afternoon.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights continue non-conference play on Friday (Mar. 31) afternoon as they travel to New Haven, Conn. as they begin a three-game series against the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University. First pitch set for 3:00 p.m.
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