FLUSHING, N.Y. – Continuing their non-conference series with a Sunday afternoon doubleheader, the Queens College baseball team
(17-6 overall) welcomed the Owls of Southern Connecticut State University
(17-7 overall) to Hennekens Stadium.
In a matchup of two evenly matched regional-ranked teams, the Knights went hit for hit against the Owls as game one combined for 31 hits, five doubles, one triple, and 12 home runs as both teams combined for 27 runs but it would be the Knights who would emerge victorious with a 17-10 win to earn the series victory.
In game two which was slated for seven innings, there would be no long ball as both teams combined for 21 hits, five doubles, and one triple but it would be the Owls who avoided the sweep in the nightcap as they took game two to the final score of 9-6 in eight innings.
With the split, Queens improved their record to 17-6 overall and earned their first series victory over the NE10 foe for the first time since the 2016 season when Queens earned a 3-0 sweep in Flushing.
Records would fall in game one as the Knights offense tied a season-high 18 hits to go with a season-high 17 RBI, and six home runs led by a career-day from senior
Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (5-5 AB, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 3RBI, 4R, BB), and freshman
Jorsixt Jimenez (Queens, N.Y.) (4-4 AB, 3HR, 8RBI, 3R) as the duo combined for 11 RBI on the afternoon as Hoskins became the first Knights to hit for the cycle in program history.
While Jimenez tied the program record for most home runs hit in a single game since Eric Roubal hit three blasts on March 15, 2019 against Bloomfield. The rookie would go on to break the program record for most RBI recorded in a single game previously held by Roubal who tallied seven RBI against Bloomfield (Mar. 15, 2019) and junior
Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) (1-1 AB, RBI, R, 2BB) who recorded seven RBI on February 27, 2022 against Felician University.
While the trio of senior
Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (2-6 AB, 2B, RBI, R), sophomore
Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, 2B, HR, 3RBI, 3R, 3BB) and senior
Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, RBI, 2R) tallied in multi-hit performances.
The five home runs by the Knights tied the program record for most home runs in a game since Queens tallied five in the 16-0 victory over Lincoln University on April 1, 2022 in Flushing.
In a game where no pitchers was spared, the Knights used four pitchers in the game one victory as junior
Jordan Sanabria (Woodside, N.Y.) (ND, 4.0 IP, 9H, 7ER, 3BB, 3K), senior
Stephen Castro (Bayside, N.Y.) (W 2-0, 1.2 IP, 2H, ER, 2BB), freshman
Christopher Naronis (Floral Park, N.Y) (2.1 IP, 2H, ER, 3K) and sophomore
Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) (1.0 IP, 2K) combined to limit the Owls batters to 13 hits, nine earned runs, eight strikeouts with Castro earning his second win in four days.
After a scoreless first inning first, the Owls would open the scoring on two hits to take a 1-0 lead after the top of the second inning.
But Queens wasted no time in erasing the 1-0 deficit as Hoskins kicked off his career day with a double down the left field line before Jimenez blasted a two-run home run to right center as Queens took a 2-1 lead.
As the Owls got the first out, freshman
Andrew Ramirez (Walnut, CA) (1-5 AB, R) singled before Barreiros earned a four-pitch walk to give Rodopoulos the chance to extend the inning.
The Scarsdale native wasted no time in extending the inning with a RBI double to center field as Queens took a 3-1 lead. Cisco continued the line with a two-RBI double to left field as the Knights took a commanding lead of 5-1.
A wild pitch would advance Cisco to third before junior
Francis Segarra (Bronxville, N.Y.) (1-5 AB, R) got hit by a pitch as the Knights now had runners on the corners.
The Knights would take a 6-1 lead on Fontana's RBI single to center field Hoskins battled for a nine-pitch walk as Queens had successfully batted around. With bases loaded, Jimenez put the Knights up 7-1 with a sac fly out to center field before the Owls got out of the inning.
Queens would send 12 batters to the plate as they tallied six hits for a seven-run inning.
But the Owls would not go away fighting as they tallied two solo shots to cut the Knights deficit down to 7-3 in the top of the third before a four-run inning in the top of the fourth saw the visitors tie the game 7-7.
With the game now tied, Fontana would be retired with a grounder to second base before Hoskins recorded his first triple of the season as Queens looked to reclaim the lead. Jimenez continued his hot bat as he blasted another long ball to deep center field for a two-run home run as Queens reclaimed a 9-7 lead.
With Sanabria day done, Castro would work out of a two-out walk to keep the Owls' offense at bay.
The Knights would extend their lead on Cisco's second home run of the week as Queens took a 10-7 lead after five complete innings of play.
But the Owls would not go away as they cut the Knights advantage down to 10-9 on a solo shot before a failed picked off attempt saw the visitors score their ninth run of the game.
Having their lead cut down to one once again, Queens continued to keep their bats hot as Fontana singled to left field to begin the bottom of the sixth before Hoskins blasted a two-run shot to center field as the Knights extended their lead to 12-9.
Queens would add another run in the sixth before Narnois worked the first clean inning of the afternoon on both sides with two strikeouts and fly out to center field in the top of the seventh.
In the home half of the seventh, Hoskins's fourth hit of the afternoon would see the Knights extend their lead to 14-9 before Jimenez blasted his third home run of the day for a three-RBI blast to center field once again as Queens took a commanding 17-9 lead to effectively seal the game.
Another solo shot by the Owls would see the score down to 17-10 but it would be the lone run Naronis and the Knights would surrender.
With one out single Segarra, It would potentially allow Hoskins to have an at-bat to complete the cycle. As the Owls got Fontana to fly out to left field, the Freeport native would tally the first cycle in program history but the Owls would keep the score at 17-10.
Leading 17-10, Kozerski took the mound to seal the home derby as the Hicksville native would the second clean inning of the afternoon as Queens clinched a crucial series victory over the Owls.
The nightcap would see the home side tally six hits led by Cisco
(2-2 AB, 2B, 3B, 3RBI, R), and Segarra
(2-4 AB) multi-hit games while Fontana
(1-4 AB, RBI) and Jimenez
(1-4 AB, R) tallied a hit each.
Cisco, Fontana, Rodopoulos
(0-3 AB, RBI, R), and freshman
Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (0-2 AB, RBI) combined for five RBI in game two.
As they did in game one, it was the Owls who opened the scoring to begin the game as they took a 5-0 after the top of the second inning before Queens rallied.
With one out Hoskins got hit by a pitch before Jimenez tallied a single to advance Hoskins to second before a walk loaded the bases.
With one out, rookie Patane cut the Knights deficit down to 5-1 with a sac fly before Queens earned their second walk of the inning to load the bases.
A hit by pitch would bring the score down to 5-2 before Cisco's first triple of the season to right center field cleaned the bases as the sophomore tied the game 5-5. With the go-ahead run at third base, Segarra's hard liner would be caught by the Owls' second basemen to get out of the inning.
Both sides would be kept off the scoreboard over the next two innings before the Owls reclaimed a 6-5 lead in the top of the fifth.
Needing to respond, Cisco opened the home half of the fifth with his sixth double of the season before Segarra advance the sophomore to third base with a single through the left side.
But the Owls would get Segarra on a pickoff attempt for the first out before Fontana tied the game as the Owls were able to get the senior out at first base.
The Knights would work out a single in the top of the sixth but the Owls keep the game tied at 6-6 as they worked a clean inning in the home half of the sixth.
The Owls would threaten to retake the lead in the top of the seventh as they opened the inning with a double but the Knights defense would work of trouble heading into the bottom of the seventh as they looked to walk off and earn a series sweep.
The Owls got the first two out before Cisco got hit by a pitch before Segarra singled to put Cisco in scoring position at second base.
But the Owls' defense would avoid the sweep as they got the final out to get Cisco out at third on a fielders' choice.
If the first game of 27 runs in 17 innings wasn't enough, game two would be headed to extras for the second time in the series.
The Knights had earned a 4-3 victory in 10 innings in the opening game of the series in New Haven before an offense barrage saw the Knights take the series in the opening game on Sunday with a 17-10 victory.
So it was only fitting in the third game of the series that seven innings would not be enough. But in the end, it would be the Owls who would take advantage of a fielding error with bases loaded as they scored three runs before the Knights were retired in order as the visitors forced a Sunday afternoon split taking the nightcap to the final score of 9-6.
UP NEXT: Head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights continue non-conference play on Tuesday (Apr. 4) afternoon as they welcome the Cougars of Caldwell University to town. First pitch set for 3:00 p.m.
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