FLUSHING, N.Y. – Looking to conclude the 2023 regular season on a high note, the Queens College baseball team
(29-16 overall, 13-9 ECC) welcomed the Spartans of Saint Thomas Aquinas College
(23-25 overall, 16-8 ECC) to Flushing to conclude the four-game East Coast Conference series at Hennekens Stadium Saturday afternoon.
With the ECC postseason spot locked up, the Knights were looking to end their series on a positive note. With the Knights trailing 4-3 heading into the bottom of the ninth, it would come off the bat of senior
Jayson Rodopoulos's(Scarsdale, N.Y.) solo shot before sophomore
Juan De La Rosa (Bronx, N.Y.) walked it off as the Knights earned a 5-4 game one victory.
Taking their game one momentum into the final game of the series, five pitchers would combine to shut out the Spartans while sophomore
Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) provided the offense spark as Queens shutout STAC for a 5-0 game two victory.
With the Saturday afternoon sweep, head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights improve their overall record to 29-16 tying the single-season program history of 29 wins set during the 1998 season.
Prior to the first pitch of game one, Reardon along with the Athletic Director
Rob Twible and the Knights coaching staff honored their 10 graduating seniors in their dedication to the baseball program. The Knights honored
Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.), Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.), Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.).
Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.), Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.), Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.), Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.)
Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.), Stephen Castro (Bayside, N.Y.), and
Dante Interlandi (Massapequa, N.Y.) in their annual Senior Day Ceremony.
In game one, the Knights offense tallied nine hits led by four multi-hit performances from Fontana
(2-4 AB, R, BB), Rosa
(2-4 AB, RBI, R, BB), Estevez
(2-4 AB, 2RBI), and Rodopoulos
(2-4 AB, HR, RBI, R), while the duo of Cisco
(1-4 AB, 2B, R, BB) and sophomore
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (1-3 AB) combined for two hits.
Four Knights in Estevez, Rosa, Rodopoulos, and freshman
Andrew Ramirez (Walnut, CA) combined for five RBI as the Knights walked it off in the bottom of the ninth inning.
Five pitchers in junior
Jordan Sanabria (Woodside, N.Y.) (6.0 IP, 5H, 2ER, 4BB, 7K), sophomore
Joshuel Rodriguez(Bay Shore, N.Y.) (1.0 IP, 2K), sophomore
Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) (0.1 IP, H, ER, BB), Castro
(1.0 IP, 2K) and Fazah
(W 5-2, 0.2 IP, K) combined to limit the hot bats of the Spartans to six hits, and four runs as they stuck out 12 batters.
While in game two, the offense tallied seven hits as Cisco
(1-3 AB, HR, 2RBI, R), Rodopoulos
(1-3 AB, RBI, R), freshman
Jorsixt Jimenez (Queens, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, BB), Hoskins
(1-2 AB), Filip
(1-2 AB, RBI, R, BB), Ramirez
(1-2 AB) and junior
Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, R, BB) all recorded a hit apiece.
While Cisco, Rodopoulos, Jimenez, and Filip combined for five RBI in the game two victory.
For the second straight game, the Knights would utilize five pitchers as Fazah
(1.0 IP, 2H), junior
Francis Segarra (Bronxville, N.Y.), Rodriguez
(W 2-1, 3.0 IP, 2H, 2BB, 2K), Interlandi
(1.0 IP, BB, K) and Kozerski
(2.0 IP, 2H, 2K) combined to restrict the Spartans to six hits while striking out five batters as the Knights shutout STAC for a 5-0 victory and compete the Senior day sweep.
It would be three scoreless innings to start game one as both starting pitchers worked around base runners to keep the scoreboard at zero. But with two out in the top of the fourth, back-to-back fielding errors would hurt the Knights as the Spartans took an early 1-0 lead.
With the Knights looking to respond, Rosa earned a four-pitch walk with one out before the Spartans worked around the Bronx native to keep the Knights off the scoreboard.
For the third straight game against the Knights, the Spartans would use the long ball to extend their advantage as they took a 3-0 lead after the completion of the top of the fifth inning.
The Knights would threaten in the bottom of the fifth as Estevez tallied a single to center field with one out before advancing to second on a wild pitch. But it would be hard luck as a blast up the middle by Rodopoulos would hit Estevez as the Spartans got the second out on a runner's interference.
As Rodopoulos stole second base, Cisco would earn a four-pitch walk as Queens looked to rally but the Spartans defense would once again avoid damage as they got the fielder's choice at second base to end the inning.
Continuing to keep the Knights a 3-0 deficit, Sanabria would strike out the first batter before a single to left field threaten to keep the inning going. But for the second time on the day, Estevez would catch a Spartans runner caught stealing before Sanabria recorded his seventh strikeout on the day to end the inning.
As Sanabria and his defense kept his team in the game, the Knights would rally in the home half of the sixth.
Fontana began the sixth with a single through the right side before Rosa singled to center field as Queens put two runners on base. A wild pitch would advance both runners into scoring position as Filip kept his at-bat alive.
The sophomore would battle for eight pitches as he fouled off five pitches before the ninth pitch of the at-bat struck his hand allowing Queens to load the bases.
Ramirez would bring the Knights within two, 3-1 on a fielder's choice RBI as the Spartans took the out at second base for the first out.
The Spartans would get the second out as they looked to leave two Knights stranded on base and keep their advantage at 3-1.
But on a day where he was honored for his dedication to the baseball program, Estevez would deliver big as the Bronx native tallied a two-RBI double down the left field line to tie the game 3-3 heading into the seventh inning.
As both defenses put a zero in the seventh inning, the Spartans would use a walk and a single to take a 4-3 lead on a sac bunt in the top of the eighth.
Filip would open the eighth with a single through the left side but the Spartans would maintain their 4-3 lead to get the next three batters out.
Castro and Fazah would combine to retire the Spartans in order in the top of the ninth as the Knights looked to earn the comeback rally.
As the Spartans turned to their closer to complete the game, the Knights' offense had other ideas led by Rodopoulos on his senior day. He would foul the first ball before he blasted a solo opposite-field shot to right field for his fourth home run of the year to tie the game 4-4.
But with the heart of the lineup coming up, Cisco staring at a 2-1 count blasted a double to right field as Queens had the winning run at second base.
With Jimenez and Fontana next in the lineup, Jimenez would get intentionally walked before a passed ball put Cisco and Jimenez in scoring position and potentially negate the double play.
But the Spartans were forced to intentionally walk Fontana as the Knights had the bases juiced for Rosa.
Rosa watched the first pitch go for a ball before he sent a rocket to right field which just missed going over the wall for a grand slam walk-off but the sophomore had completed the job as the Knights earned their third walk-off of the year for a 5-4 game one victory.
It would be the Knights' third walk-off victory in conference play this season.
Looking to keep the momentum going into game two, Fazah would earn the game two start but it would be the Spartans who opened the game with a hard hit single to second base.
But Queens would negate the base runner in a successful pick off attempt with a 1-3-4 play before Fazah and his defense worked around the second hit of the inning to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.
The Knights' offense would waste no time putting pressure on the Spartans' defense as Rodopoulos opened the home half of the first with a single up the middle before Cisco got hit by a pitch to give Queens two runners on base.
A passed ball would advance both runners into scoring position before Jimenez delivered the opening run of the game with a fielder's choice RBI to score Rodopoulos from third as Queens took a 1-0 lead.
With his RBI, Jimenez tied the freshman Single Season RBI record to move into second place with teammate Cisco who set the record last season.
As Queens worked around a walk and single in the top of the second to once again keep the Spartans runners at bay, the Knights would double their advantage in the bottom of the second inning.
As Filip earned a five-pitch walk, a single from Ramirez and the second walk of the inning would load the bases before Rodopoulos tallied his second RBI of the afternoon with a sac fly out to right field to give the Knights a 2-0 lead.
As Rodriguez and his defense continued to keep the Spartans off the scoreboard, Queens found the momentum they need to put the away game in the bottom of the fourth.
The Spartans would get the first out before Barreiros singled to right field before stealing second base. As the visitors got the second out and looked to keep the Knights at 2-0, Cisco battled for six pitches before lacing the seventh pitch of his at-bat for his fourth home run of the season as the Long Island City native blasted a two-RBI shot over left center field to give the Knights a commanding lead of 4-0.
Queens would add their fifth run of the game in the bottom of the fifth before Kozerski pitched two shutout innings to complete the game as the Knights earned a 5-0 game two victory to earn the Senior Day sweep.
With their shutout victory in game two, the Knights earned their first shutout victory over the Spartans for the first time since the 2019 season when they won 4-0 on April 28, 2019, in Flushing.
UP NEXT: With the regular season concluded, head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights will now shift their attention to the East Coast Conference Baseball Tournament set to begin on Thursday (May. 11) afternoon. Full details to follow soon.
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