ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – Returning to the East Coast Conference Softball Tournament for the first time since the 2015 season, the #4 seed Queens College softball team matched up against #1 seed and Co-Regular Season Champions Molloy University Lions at the RVC Sports Complex Thursday afternoon.
During the regular season, the Knights fell 3-1 in the four-game series but they would end the series on a high note with a 3-2 victory over the Lions in Flushing.
The Knights matched up against the Lions in the opening round of the ECC Championship for the third time in program history and the first since the 2014 season.
In the two previous postseason games, the Lions would emerge victorious defeating the Knights 9-1 on April 26, 2012 in Rockville Centre and 2-0 on May 2, 2014 in Brookville.
Looking to end that two-game losing streak in postseason play, the offense clicked as they outhit the home side 7-3 led by senior
Ann Grimshaw (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, RBI, R) team-leading 10
th multi-hit game of the year, while junior
Jenny Murphy (East Islip, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 2B, 3RBI, R, BB), sophomore
Caroline Pescatore (North Babylon, N.Y.) (1-5 AB, RBI), sophomore
Emma Zumpol (Patchogue, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, R, BB), sophomore
Amanda Baez (Selden, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, 2B, RBI, 2R) and junior
Dyana Budakowski (Washingtonville, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, BB) combined for five hits.
Seven Knights combined for nine RBI led by Murphy's second multi-RBI performance of the year and first 3 RBI performance game, while the hexad of Pescatore, Grimshaw, Baez, Budakowski, Zumpol and freshman
Brianna Call (Fishkill, N.Y.) all recorded a RBI on the day.
In the pitching circle, graduate student
Allyson Dilday (Castle Rock, CO.) (W 8-13, 7.0 IP, 3H, 2BB, 5K) fired her third complete shutout as she held the Lions bats to three hits and struck out five batters as the Knights opened the tournament with a 9-0 victory.
It would be a strong start to the game as Pescatore battled for 10 pitches before the Lions eventually retired the Knights lead-off batter. But senior
Cyarra Alvarado (Coral Springs, FL) would make the Lions' starter work before she earned a seven-pitch walk to give the Knights a base runner.
As the Lions got Grimshaw to line out to second base, a throwing error would allow Alvarado to advance to second base as Queens had a runner in scoring position. Next batter Baez wasted no time looking at any pitches as she laced the first pitch for a RBI double to right center field as Queens took an early 1-0 after the conclusion of the top of the first inning.
The offense would give Dilday an early lead and the Castle Rock native wasted no time settling in as she retired the Lions in order to end the first inning of play.
After Queens were retired in order in the top of the second inning, the Lions would earn a walk to open the home half of the second inning but Dilday and her defense would leave the base runner stranded on first as they worked to retire the next three batters in a row.
Looking to add insurance runs and provide their righty with more breathing room, Zumpol opened the top of the third inning with a four-pitch walk before the Lions retired the next two batters but each out would allow the sophomore to advance a base.
With two outs and the Lions looking to leave Zumpol stranded on third, Grimshaw laced a RBI single up the middle to score Zumpol as Queens took a 2-0 lead.
Next batter Baez would get hit by a pitch as the Knights looked to keep the inning going. A wild pitch would advance both runners into scoring position before Murphy put the Knights in a commanding lead of 4-0 with a two RBI double to left center field.
With the Knights offense clicking and giving Dilday the insurance runs needed to deal, the graduate student continued to keep the Lions' bat quiet as she held them hitless through the first three innings of play.
The no-hitter would end in the bottom of the fourth as the Lions opened the fourth with a single. But Dilday remained unfazed as she went on to retire the next three batters to keep her side in front.
Holding the 4-0 lead, Dilday would retire eight Lions batters in a row before the Lions recorded their second hit of the afternoon in the bottom of the sixth with two outs. But once again she would leave the base runner stranded as the graduate student ended the sixth inning with her fifth strikeout of the day.
With Queens leading 4-0 going into the final inning of the game, the Knights would put the game out of reach as they sent 11 batters to bat in the top of the seventh as the visitors recorded four hits to tack on five runs for a commanding 9-0 lead.
With the Lions down to their final three outs, Dilday got the first batter to fly out as Budakowski made a spectacular diving catch in center field for the first out.
With one out, the Lions would tack their third single of the game as the ball beat a diving Alvarado at shortstop, but she would induce the third batter of the inning to foul out to senior catcher
Katherine Gallagher (Orlando, FL.) for the second out.
But the home side would load the bases on a walk and a fielding error but Dilday and the Knights would keep their composure as the righty got the fifth batter of the inning to pop up to Zumpol for the last out as Queens completed the upset over the #1 seed Lions for a 9-0 win.
With the victory, Dilday recorded her third shutout of the year as Queens ended a two-game postseason losing streak to Molloy. It is the first shutout over the Lions since the 2019 season when the Knights earned a 1-0 victory in Flushing and the first in Rockville since the 2018 season when Queens won 3-0.
In postseason play, Queens earned their second shutout over Molloy for the first time since the 1999 championship game when the Knights lifted their first title in program history with an 11-0 victory.
Next Pitch: With the win, head coach
Amy Delmore and the Knights now advance to Friday (May 5) morning ECC Winner's Bracket as they prepare to match up against #2 seed and Co-Regular Season Champions Saint Thomas Aquinas College Spartans with a spot to the Championship game on the line. First pitch set for 10:00 a.m.
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