ROCKVILLE CENTRE, N.Y. – The Queens College softball team 2024 season officially came to a close Friday afternoon in the East Coast Conference Softball Double Elimination tournament.
 
11th-year head coach Amy Delmore and the Knights would go down fighting as they began the day earning a 2-0 shutout victory over #4 seed Mercy University Mavericks in game four to advance to game five.
 
Needing a win over #2 seed St. Thomas Aquinas College Spartans in game five, the Knights would fall short to the final score of 2-0 as Queens concluded their season as one of the last three teams in the tournament for the second straight year.
 
In game four against the Mavericks, the Knights out-hit the Mavericks 7-5 led by two multi-hit performances from senior first basemen Jenny Murphy (East Islip, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, R) and freshman utility Caylea Campbell (Murrieta, CA) (2-3 AB, 2 2B, 2RBI) as the duo combined for four hits, two RBI and a run scored.
 
While the trio of senior Arianna Fracchioni (Westbury, N.Y) (1-3 AB), senior second baseman Alyssa Wilkinson (Bayside, N.Y) (1-3), and junior right-fielder Caroline Pescatore (North Babylon, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, 2B) combined for three hits in the game.
 
In the circle, Campbell (W, 12-10 7.0 IP, 5H, 6K) fired her second shutout of the season allowing five hits to go with six strikeouts as the rookie led the way earning her 12^th victory of the year as Queens advanced to Game Five of the tournament.
 
In another must-win game and matching up against the #2 seed Spartans for the second day in a row, the Knights totaled five hits led by junior third baseman Emma Zumpol (Patchogue, N.Y.) (2-4 AB) multi-hit game, and the trio of junior center fielder Amanda Baez (Selden, N.Y) (1-4 AB), Wilkinson (1-1 AB, 2B, BB) and Pescatore (1-3 AB) all combined for five hits.
 
In the circle, Fracchioni (L, 6-10 6.1 IP, 5H 2ER, 2BB, 2K) would shutout the Spartans through the first six innings of play before STAC tallied the winning runs in the top of the seventh to earn a 2-0 victory over the Knights.

GAME RECAP (QUEENS 2, MERCY 0)

Delmore would put the ball in the hand of their Rookie of the Year in Campbell as the freshman earned her second straight in postseason play and the rookie would deliver in the elimination game.
 
Through the first two innings of play, the Mavericks would put runners on base but each time Campbell and her defense would keep the runners stranded on base to keep the game tied.
 
Queens would threaten in the home half of the second inning as Fracchioni and Wilkinson notched back-to-back singles, but a double play would erase a potential scoring opportunity before the Mavericks were able to get the third out to end the inning.
 
As Campbell worked her first clean inning of the day in the top of the third inning, the Knights' offense would deliver and get on the scoreboard. Pescatore opened the inning with a double to left field before Zumpol advanced the junior to third base on a sac bunt.
 
Next batter Baez would reach on a fielder's choice play as the Mavericks got Pescatore out at home plate on a throw from the Mavericks shortstop. But a single from Murphy would keep the inning alive as Queens had runners on second and first base.
 
Campbell would help her own cause as the rookie laced a two-RBI double to left center field to plate both Baez and Murphy as Queens took a 2-0 lead.
 
Leading 2-0 Campbell worked back-to-back clean innings in the fourth and fifth inning of play as she retried nine straight batters since the leadoff single in the top of the second inning of play.
 
Campbell opened the top of the sixth retiring her 10^th straight batter with a groundout before the Mavericks loaded the bases mixed in with the Knights getting the second out with a single, fielder's choice, and a single up the middle.
 
With the bases loaded and two outs, Campbell would keep the bases loaded as she recorded her fifth punchout of the day to end the inning.
 
As the Knights were unable to take advantage of Campbell's second double of the game in the bottom of the sixth for another insurance run, the rookie returned to the circle to keep the shutout going and advance Queens to the next round.
 
The ECC Rookie of the Year opened the top of the seventh with her sixth strikeout of the day before inducing fly out to Baez in center field for the second out. But the Mavericks would extend the inning with a single through the right side.
 
With two outs and a runner on first base, it would be a six-pitch battle at the plate for the final out before the rookie induced a fly out to Pescatore to end the game as Queens kept their season alive for one more game with a 2-0 victory over the Mavericks.

GAME RECAP (QUEENS 0, STAC 2)

In another elimination game and a win to the Championship game on the line, Delmore and the Knights turned to All-ECC Second Team honoree and senior righty Fracchioni in the circle.
 
Possibly pitching in the last game of her career, the Westbury native would deliver as she held the hot bats of the Spartans to one hit through five complete innings of play.
 
But in a pitching duel, the Knights would face off against ECC Pitcher of the Year Sarah Clancy for the second straight day.
 
Queens would get a runner on base in every inning but each time Clancy and her defense would keep the Knights' offense at bay.
 
As Fracchioni retired the Spartans in order in the top of the fifth, the Knights' would load the bases in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, back-to-back singles from Zumpol and Baez mixed in with the second out, and a walk to Campbell loaded the bases as Queens looked to strike first.
 
But Clancy would win the battle against her opposing pitcher in the circle with a strikeout to get out of the inning and keep the game deadlocked at zero.
 
In the top of the sixth, Fracchioni would retire the first two batters before a double to center field extended the inning but Fracchioni would ensure the game would be still scoreless enter the bottom of the sixth as the senior induced a fly out to Baez in center field to end the inning.
 
Senior second baseman Wilkinson opened the bottom of the sixth with a double to left field before a sac bunt advanced the senior to third base and into prime scoring position.
 
With only one out, and a runner just 60 feet away, the Spartans would avoid trouble as they were able to retire the next two batters to end the inning.
 
Entering the top of the seventh, Fracchioni had limited the Spartans to just two hits and had shut down the Spartans in 13 straight innings since the Knights' 4-0 victory back on April 24, 2024.
 
The senior opened the top of the seventh with a fly out to Pescatore in right field before the Spartans notched three straight hits including a two-RBI triple to take a 2-0 lead.
 
Needing two runs to tie the game and force extra innings, the Spartans would retire the first two batters before Murphy earned a walk to keep the inning alive. However, the Spartans would earn the 2-0 victory as they retired the last batter to end the inning and eliminate the Knights.

Season Recap:

1. The Knights won 18 games, the most in a single season since their 35-16 record in 2015.
2. The 10-10 (.500%) record in ECC play is the highest % since the 2015 season.
3. Delmore and the coaching staff guided four student-athletes to All-ECC Honors, and the third time just Delmore tenure.
   1. Zumpol Earned All-ECC First Team Honors
   2. The trio of Baez, Campbell, and Fracchioni earned All-ECC Second Team Honors.
4. Campbell became the third rookie under Delmore's tenure to earn Top ECC Rookie honors and the fourth overall in program history.

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