POMONA, N.Y. – Continuing their East Coast Conference series against the Spartans of St. Thomas Aquinas College, the Queens College baseball team made the trip to Clover Stadium in Pomona for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader.
In game two of the series, the Knights offense erupted for 21 hits with eight players combining for multi-hit games led by sophomore right fielder
Jorsixt Jimenez (Flushing, N.Y.) (4-6 AB, 2 2B, HR, 4RBI, 2R) second four-hit performance, and the trio of senior center fielder
Phillip Krpata (Farmingdale, N.Y.) (3-5 AB, RBI, R, BB, SB), junior second baseman
Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (3-6 AB, 2B, 2R) and senior catcher
Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) (3-5 AB, RBI, 2R) as they combined for 10 hits, six RBI, seven runs scored.
While sophomore
Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, 2R, SB), junior first baseman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, 2B, 2RBI, R, SB), redshirt junior shortstop
Francis Segarra (Bronxville, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, 2B, 2RBI, 2R) and freshman left fielder
Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, RBI) combined for eight hits, five RBI and five runs scored.
On the mound rookie righty
Peter Nenadich III (Bayside, N.Y.) (W, 4-3 7.0 IP, 7H, 4R, 2ER, 3BB, 6K) and junior lefty
Nate Rodriguez (Hamilton, N.J.) (2.0 IP, 3H, ER, BB, K) combined to limit the Spartans to 10 hits, five runs scored
(three earned) to go with seven strikeouts as Queens earned an 13-5 game two victory of the series.
In the nightcap, the Knights combined for 11 hits led by Cisco's
(4-4 AB, 2B, 3RBI) first four-hit performance of the year and junior third baseman
Robert Jacobsen's (Temecula, CA (2-3 AB, 2R, BB) recording his 13
th multi-hit game of the year as the duo combined for six hits, three RBI and two runs scored.
While Krpata
(1-3 AB, 2R, BB, SB), Jimenez
(1-4 AB, RBI, R), Filip
(1-4 AB, 2B), Segarra
(1-3 AB) and junior catcher
Thomas Napolitano Jr. (Scottsdale, AZ.) (1-3 AB) combined for five hits, a RBI and three runs scored.
On the mound, senior righty
Jordan Sanabria (Woodside, N.Y.) (W, 2-4 7.0 IP, 5H, 2ER, BB, 7K) would be a one-man show as the righty delivered with his second career complete game victory as he limited the Spartans to five hits, two earned runs to go with seven strikeouts as he earned his second straight ECC victory of the year as Queens completed the Saturday DH sweep to the final score of 5-2.
With the DH sweep, the Knights improved to 23-14 overall and 13-6 in ECC play as Queens clinched their fourth ECC series of the year.
GAME TWO RECAP (QUEENS 13, STAC 5)
As the Knights left Krpata stranded on third base to open the game, it would be the Spartans who took a 1-0 lead using two singles after the completion of the top of the first inning.
As Nenadich III worked out of an one-out double to retire the next two batters in the bottom of the second, the Knights offense went to work in the top of the third inning.
Barreiros opened the third with a single to right field before Krpata singled up the middle but the senior catcher would take advantage of a fielding error to score from second base while Krpata advanced to second as Queens tied the game 1-1.
As Jacobsen reached first base on a fielding error, Krpata would advance to third base before Jimenez cleared the bases with a two-RBI double to right center as Queens took a 3-1 lead. Cisco would record the second straight double of the inning with a shot to right center as Jimenez advanced to third base. With runners in scoring position, the Spartans would get the first out before Filip delivered with a RBI single to right field to score Jimenez but Cisco would take advantage of an error to score the Knights' fifth run of the inning as Queens took a 5-1 lead.
The Spartans would earn a walk to begin the home half of the third but Nenadich III would face the minimum as Queens got the first out on a fielder's choice before inducing a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.
Barreiros began the top of the fourth with his second straight single before the Spartans retired the next two batters. But as Jimenez laced his second straight double down the left field line, Barreiros would be out at home as the Spartans were able to keep the scoreline at 5-1.
The home side would use two fielding errors to their advantage as they cut the Knights' lead down to 5-3 in the home half of the fourth inning.
Both sides would be kept off the scoreboard in the fifth before Queens used a fielding error to their advantage to take a 6-3 lead in the top of the sixth.
Nenadich III would strike out the Spartans in the home half of the sixth before the Knights broke the game open in the top of the seventh.
Jimenez began the seventh with his sixth home run of the year as he put the Knights up 7-3 with a shot to right center field. The Spartans would get the first out before Patane singled to right field before a double to right center from Filip put runners in scoring position. Segarra would deliver with a sac fly out to left field to Patane before a RBI single to left center field from Vilardi put the Knights up 9-3 after the completion of the top of the seventh inning.
The Spartans would get a run back in the bottom of the seventh but Nenadich III would keep the damage to just one run as he left one runner stranded on base.
As the Knights were retired in order in the top of the eight, Rodriguez out of the pen would retire the Spartans in order in the home half of the eighth before Queens erupted for four runs on five hits in the top of the ninth for a commanding lead of 13-4.
The Spartans would attempt a rally but Rodriguez would limit the Spartans to one run as Queens took game two of the series to the final score of 13-5.
GAME THREE RECAP (QUEENS 5, STAC 2)
It would be the McClancy graduate duo of Cisco and Sanabria in game two as both players led the way.
Queens opened the scoring to begin the nightcap as with one out, Jacobsen earned a walk before advancing to second on a wild pitch. But as the Spartans got the second out, Cisco began his perfect day at the plate with a RBI double to left center as Queens took a 1-0 lead.
While on the mound Sanabria would strike out the Spartans in order to begin his day.
In the top of the second, Filip recorded his second double of the day as Queens looked to add more runs but the Spartans would keep the junior stranded on second base to end the top of the second.
Sanabria began the home half of the second retiring two straight batters before a single through the right side extended the inning, however, the senior would keep the runner stranded as he got the next batter to pop up to Cisco at second base to end the inning.
Krpata opened the third with a single to right field before stealing second base before a bunt single from Jacobsen advanced Krpata to third base as the Knights looked to add more runs to help their game two starter. As the Spartans got the first out, Cisco laced a RBI single to left field as Queens doubled their advantage to 2-0.
With the Knights leading 2-0 Sanabria would continue to keep the Spartans at bay as he worked five straight shutout innings.
But the home side would finally get to the righty in the bottom of the sixth using a single and a walk to their advantage as a one-out double to right center tied the game at 2-2.
With the go-ahead run at second base, Sanabria would dig deep as he retired the next two batters on back-to-back swinging strikeouts to keep the game tied at 2-2.
With the game tied at 2-2 and heading to the final potential inning of the game, Krpata earned a walk before Jacobsen recorded a single to left field as Queens put runners on first and second with no out. Jimenez who had been held hitless through his first three plate appearances would lace a RBI single to left field as Queens regained a slim lead of 3-2. Cisco would complete his perfect day at the plate with his fourth hit of the game and third RBI as he put the Knights up 4-2 with a RBI single to right field as Jacobsen scored while Jimenez advanced to third base.
With no out, the Spartans would get the first out, but as Cisco was caught stealing second base Jimenez would take advantage to score from third base as Queens took a commanding lead of 5-2.
Leading 5-2, Sanabria returned for his seventh inning of the game as he looked to close out the game and earn his second career complete game victory.
The Woodside native began the bottom of the seventh getting the first batter to fly out to Vilardi at left field before a single to right field gave the Spartans a base runner.
But the senior would be unfazed as he got the third batter of the inning to fly out to Jimenez in right field before he induced a grounder to third base as Queens took a fielder's choice out at second base to complete the Saturday afternoon sweep to the final score of 5-2.
Next Pitch
Queens complete the four-game series in Flushing on Sunday (Apr. 21) afternoon against the Spartans. First pitch is set for noon.
For the latest news on Queens College Athletics, follow the Knights at queensknights.com or via social media on Facebook (Queens College Athletics), X (Formerly Twitter) (@QCKnights), Queens College Baseball (@QC_Baseball) and Instagram (qcknightsny), QC Baseball (qcbaseball)
