FLEMINGTON, N.J. – After the upcoming weekend bad weather shifted the four-game series against the Lightning of Goldey-Beacom College to a Thursday (Mar. 7) to Friday (Mar. 8) afternoon start, the Queens College baseball team would drop the first two games of the series before bouncing back in Friday's doubleheader.
On Wednesday (Mar. 6) morning the Knights received four points in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
(NCBWA) National Poll for the first time under 11
th year head coach
Chris Reardon, while the Lightning found themselves ranked #25 in the nation to set up a battle between two nationally ranked teams.
It would be two tough losses on Thursday for Queens but the Knights would battle back and end their hitting slum in Friday's doubleheader.
In Game One the offense tallied 12 hits led by junior third baseman
Robert Jacobsen (Temecula, CA) (4-of-5 AB, 2 2B, RBI, 2R), first four-hit performance of the year, while the trio of graduate student center fielder
Phillip Krpata (Farmingdale, N.Y.) (2-of-5 AB, 2R, BB), redshirt junior shortstop
Francis Segarra (Bronxville, N.Y.) (2-of-5 AB, HR, 4RBI, 2R, BB), and senior catcher
Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) (2-of-4 AB, HR, 3RBI, R) combined for six hits, seven RBI, and five runs scored. The sophomore duo of right fielder
Jorsixt Jimenez (Flushing, N.Y.) (1-of-4 AB, RBI, R, BB) and left fielder
Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (1-of-5 AB, HR, RBI, R) combined for two hits, two RBI and two runs scored.
On the mound, junior righty
Caleb Cassie (Vancouver, B.C.) (4.1 IP, 10H, 9ER, 7K, 2BB), rookie righty
Peter Nenadich III (Bayside, N.Y.) (W, 2-1 2.2 IP, 2H, 1K) and senior closer
Danny Gargano (Middle Island, N.Y.) (S, 2 2.0 IP, H, BB, 2K) would battle against a hot hitting Lightning lineup before Nenadich III and Gargano combined to shutout the Lightning for the final 4.2 innings as the Bayside native picked up his second career win and Gargano earned his second save of the year as the Knights earned a 12-11 comeback victory.
In the nightcap, the offense outhit the Lightning 13-7 as a balanced offensive unit combined for eight RBI with the duo of Jorsixt
(2-of-5 AB, 2RBI, R) and junior outfielder
Leo Alvarez (Oceanside, N.Y.) (2-of-3 AB, RBI) combining to drive in four runs, while four knights chipped in with a RBI apiece.
On the mound rookie righty
Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) (4.1 IP, 5H, ER, 3K, 2BB) earned his first career start before junior righty
Joshuel Rodriguez (Bay Shore, N.Y.) (0.2 IP, BB) and junior righty
Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) (W, 1-0, 2.0 IP, 2H, 2R, K) combined to keep the hot bats of the Lightning to seven hits, one earned run, four runs scored and four strikeouts with Kozerski earning his first win of the year as the Knights earned a 8-4 victory to complete the Friday afternoon sweep.
With the wins, the Knights improved to 6-4 on the year and earned a 2-2 series split against the Lightning with both sides winning their games as the road team on the scoreboard on neutral grounds.
GAME ONE RECAP (QUEENS 12 GOLDEY-BEACOM 11)
In game one the Knights opened the scoring as they recorded four runs in the top of the first inning before the Lighting scored seven runs through the first two innings to take a 7-4 lead.
Queens would answer back with five runs as they recorded two in the third and three in the fourth inning to take a 9-7 lead after the completion of four innings. But the Lightning would record four runs in the home frame of the fifth to take an 11-9 lead.
As both sides were shut out in the sixth inning, it would be the Knights who answered to close out the scoring as they recorded three runs to retake a 12-11 lead in the top of the seventh.
Barreiros opened the scoring with a solo shot down the left field line to get the Knights within one, 11-10. After the Lightning got the first out, Krpata battled for four pitches before tallying a single up the middle. After stealing second base, a walk to senior second baseman
Jaden Rivera (Queens Village, N.Y.) would give the Knights two base runners with one out. As both Knights executed a double steal, Segarra would deliver the winning runs with a two-RBI single to right field as Queens reclaimed the lead for good after the completion of the top of the seventh inning.
Nenadich III would shut down the Lightning in the bottom frame before Queens turned to closer Gargano to complete the job and the senior would deliver with two effective shutout innings as the Knights ended a four-game slide to earn a 12-11 comeback victory in game one.
GAME TWO RECAP (QUEENS 8 GOLDEY-BEACOM 4)
The nightcap would be another back-and-forth battle as both sides continued to answer each other throughout the game.
Queens opened the scoring in the top of the second before the Lightning tied the game in the bottom of the fourth.
But Queens would quickly respond in the top of the fifth as a RBI single from Alvarez put the Knights up 2-1 not before the Lightning tied the game in the home frame of the fifth.
With the game tied 2-2, the Knights would have the final say they recorded five runs on seven hits as they successfully batted around in the top of the sixth.
The Lightning would get the first out before Patane
(1-of-3 AB, 3B, R) tallied a triple to right field before small ball put the Knights up 3-2 as Krpata drove home the third run of the game with a RBI bunt single scoring Patane.
As the speedy Krpata stole second and third base, Jimenez continued the scoring with a RBI single to center field as Krpata scored the fourth run of the game. The Lightning would get the second out but not before Jimenez advanced to second base to put the bat in the hand of junior first baseman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (2-of-3 AB, RBI, 2R, BB) who delivered with a RBI single to right field as Queens took a 5-2 lead.
Jacobsen
(2-of-2 AB, R) would keep the line moving with a single through the right side before Alvarez and Rivera
(1-of-3 AB, RBI, BB) notched back-to-back singles to put the Knights up 7-2 after the completion of the top of the sixth inning.
Reliever Kozerski would retire the Lightning in the order of the home frame of the sixth before the Knights tacked on an insurance run as they used rookie outfielder
Frank Romano (West Islip, N.Y.) (1-of-1 AB, 2B, R) double to right field for the eighth run of the game as Jimenez drove in Romano to put the Knights up 8-2.
With the Knights leading 8-2 heading into the final inning of the game in the seventh frame, Kozerski would quickly retire the first two batters before the Lightning attempted to rally.
But the Hicksville native would dig before inducing a fly out to right field as Alvarez made a flying catch near the right field fence for the final out as the Knights secured an 8-4 victory and earned the series split.
Next Pitch
Queens opens the week in Garden City, N.Y. on Tuesday (Mar. 12) afternoon as they match up against the Panthers of Adelphi University in non-conference play. First pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
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