UNIONDALE, N.Y. – The 2024 Queens College Baseball team season came to a close Friday afternoon in Game Three of the East Coast Conference Baseball Double-Elimination Tournament.
Needing to keep their season alive the #3 seed Knights matched up against #1 seed D'Youville University Saints.
The Knights offense tallied nine hits with all starting players recording a hit with All-ECC First Team sophomore right fielder
Jorsixt Jimenez (Flushing, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, BB) driving in the lone run on the day.
On the mound, All-ECC Second Team junior
Caleb Cassie (Vancouver, B.C.) (L, 2-4 6.0 IP, 7H, 3R, ER, 9K) earned the start limiting the Saints to seven hits, three runs
(one earned run), zero walks and nine strikeouts before junior lefty
Nate Rodriguez (Hamilton, N.J.) (3.0 IP, 3H, K) held the Saints offense bay as Queens looked for the late comeback rally. However D'Youville would hold off the rally and earn a 3-1 victory over Queens.
Game Recap
The Saints opened the scoring taking advantage of a hit by pitch before a RBI double put the #1 seed Saints up 1-0.
Trailing 1-0, junior catcher
Thomas Napolitano Jr. (Scottsdale, AZ.) (1-3 AB) opened the bottom of the third with a single before a sac bunt from junior third baseman
Robert Jacobsen (Temecula, CA) (1-3 AB, 2B) advanced Napolitano Jr. to second base. The Knights would threaten as senior center fielder
Phillip Krpata (Farmingdale, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, SB) laced a single to left field as Napolitano Jr. advanced to third base giving the Knights runners on the corner.
The Saints would get the second out to bring the dangerous bat of Jimenez to the plate, but as Krpata stole second base, Napolitano Jr. would get caught in a run down as the Saints were able to get out of the inning unscathed and keep their 1-0 lead intact to end the third inning of play.
The Saints would tack on two runs in the top of the fifth using a passed ball to their advantage.
Queens would continue to get a runner on base but each time the Saints' defense would hold firm as they were to keep the Knights' offense at bay.
Trailing 3-0 and heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Saints would get the first out before a double down the right field line from senior DH
Jaden Rivera (Queens Village, N.Y.) put a runner in scoring position. Jimenez starring a 1-0 count would get the Knights on the scoreboard with a RBI single to left field as Rivera scored from second base as the Knights were able to cut their deficit down to 3-1.
But once again the Saints' defense would hold firm as they were able to get Jimenez stealing second base for the second out before getting the third out with a grounder to end the inning.
Rodriguez would keep the deficit at 3-1 as he was able to work out of a two-out single to give the Knights a chance to walk it off and advance to game five.
Looking to mount the comeback win, freshman left fielder
Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) (1-4 AB) led off the bottom of the ninth with a single to left field, but as a grounder to second base was bobbled by the second baseman, Vilardi would advance to second base but the throw to first base would be in time as the Saints got the first out.
A hit by pitch to Napolitano Jr. would put the tying run at first base for Queens and with only one out the Knights looked to be shifting momentum. However, the Saints hold off the Knights' rally with a 4-6-3 double play to eliminate the Knights and earn the 3-1 victory to advance.
2024 Season Recap
- 11th year head coach Chris Reardon and the Knights conclude the 2024 season with an overall record of 30-19.
- It is the second straight season the Knights have touched the 30-win mark in program history.
- The 30 wins also set a new Regular Season Program Record which broke the 2023 record of 29 wins.
- The Knights coaching staff guided a program record Eight All-ECC honorees in junior first baseman Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.), sophomore right fielder Jorsixt Jimenez (Flushing, N.Y.), and senior righty Jordan Sanabria (Woodside, N.Y.) who earned a spot on the First Team.
- While five Knights were awarded Second Team All-Conference honors in junior second baseman Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.), senior shortstop Francis Segarra (Bronxville, N.Y.), sophomore designated hitter Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.), junior righty Caleb Cassie (Vancouver, B.C.) and senior righty Danny Gargano (Middle Island, N.Y.).
- Earlier in the year, the Knights received votes in the NCBWA National Poll for the first time since 1998.
- The Knights have been ranked as high as third in the NCBWA East Region Poll and did not drop below five in the poll all year outside the first two polls of the year which took place before Queens got their 2024 schedule underway.
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