MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. – Continuing their Northeast Challenge on Saturday afternoon, the Queens College baseball team matched up against the Eagles of Post University at Ebbets Field for their first doubleheader of the year.
For the fourth straight year, both sides would match up against each other for a Saturday afternoon doubleheader.
In game one, the Knights were led by senior center fielder
Nick O'Conner (Wantagh, N.Y.) (2-4 AB, 2RBI) first multi-hit and RBI game of the year, while graduate student third baseman
Penn Sealey (Raleigh, N.C.) (1-4 AB), senior DH
Michael Prisco (Selden, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, 3B, R), senior second baseman
Robert Jacobsen (Temecula, Calif) (1-2 AB, 2B, 2BB, 2R), junior left fielder
Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (1-3 AB) and junior shortstop
Nick Piazza (Queens, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, 3B, 2RBI, R) all combined for seven hits, four RBI and four runs scored.
While senior first baseman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) and sophomore right fielder
Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) combined for two RBI and a walk in the victory.
On the mound, redshirt sophomore
Christopher Naronis (Floral Park, N.Y.) earned the game three start before red-shirt sophomore
Reynaldo Angeles (Corona, N.Y.) (W, 1-0, 4.0 IP, 3H, 1BB, 2K) earned his first career Knights win as Queens earned a 6-4 decision for their first victory of the year.
In game two, the Knights were led by Jacobsen
(2-3 AB, HR, 3RBI, 2R, 2BB), Sealey
(1-5 AB, R), sophomore
Jordan Babbo (Merrick, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, R, 2BB), and senior right fielder
Leo Alvarez (Oceanside, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, R, 2BB) as they tallied five hits with Jacobsen first home run of the year proving to be the difference maker in the top of the eighth inning.
On the mound the Knights were led by a quartet of players with Vilardi earning his first start of the year, junior righty
John Keane (Wading River, N.Y.), and rookie righty
Severino Napolitano Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) making their season debut in relief with Napolitano Jr. earning his first career win before senior righty
Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) recorded his first save of the year as the Knights earned a 7-5 victory in extra innings to complete the Saturday doubleheader sweep.
The Knights improve to 2-2 on the year. For the third time in four Myrtle Beach doubleheader Queens has completed the doubleheader sweep.
GAME ONE RECAP
Naronis earned the game three start as the Floral Park native was making his first appearance since March 1, 2024, and would quickly retire the Eagles in order to begin his 2025 season.
In the top of the second, the Eagles used two singles and a hit by pitch to their advantage to take a 2-0 lead.
Looking to respond right away, Prisco laced a triple into right center field before Filip delivered with a RBI groundout as the Knights cut their deficit down to 2-1 after the completion of two innings.
The Eagles extended their lead to 3-1 after the completion of the top of the fourth inning before they threatened again in the top of the fifth. But Naronis would induce a 6-4-3 double play to avoid any damage and keep the scoreline at 3-1.
Using the momentum from the top of the fifth inning, Jacobsen began the home frame earning a walk before Patane recorded a single to left center as the Knights had two runners on and no outs.
Just as rookie catcher
Jake Levesque (Pinellas Park, Fla.) delivered with a sac bunt, next batter Piazza would tie the game with a two-RBI triple out to left field before Vilardi put the Knights up 4-3 with a sac fly out to left center field.
Leading 4-3 to begin the top of the sixth Naronis' first outing of the year would conclude at 85 pitches in 5.0 innings of work as the Knights made the call to Angeles out of the bullpen.
It would be a shaky debut to begin the relief appearance as the Eagles recorded two hits and tied the game on a double to left field. But the Corona native would keep the scoreline at 4-4 as he got the sixth batter to ground out to Jacobsen at second.
Angeles would quickly settle in and face the minimum in the top of the seventh as he induced a 5-4-3 double play to keep the game tied.
Looking for the winning runs, the Knights used three walks in the bottom of the seventh to their advantage, and with two outs, the Wantagh native O'Conner would deliver as he laced a two-RBI single out to left center field as Queens had regained the lead for a 6-4 advantage.
The Eagles looked to respond in the top of the eighth as they were able to load the bases using a hit by pitch, single, and a walk to their advantage, but each time it was the Corona native who would have the last word including getting the sixth batter of the inning to ground out to Piazza for the third out.
In the top of the ninth, Angeles recorded a clean 1-2-3 inning including striking out the first two batters before inducing a grounder to Jacobsen to close out the game and help Queens get their first win of the year.
GAME TWO RECAP
Looking to sweep the doubleheader, the Knights wasted no time taking a lead as they sent 11 batters to the plate to take a 5-0 lead after the completion of the top of the first inning.
Vilardi making his first start of the year would record four strikeouts throughout the first two innings of his outing.
But as the Queens offense continued to leave runners on base, the Eagles would slowly start to find their way back into the game.
In the bottom of the third, Post used three hits for three runs to get within two, 5-3 before Vilardi got out of the inning leaving two runners on base.
As the Eagles started to mount a comeback, the Knights' defense picked up. With bases loaded in the bottom of the fourth as Queens turned to Keane for his first outing out of the bullpen, the junior induced a 6-4-3 double play to keep a 5-4 lead intact.
In the bottom of the fifth, Keane worked a clean 1-2-3 inning before back-to-back singles with one out in the bottom of the sixth saw rookie
Severino Napolitano Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) name called.
The Brooklyn native would record his first career strikeout in the first batter he faced before back-to-back hit by pitches saw the Eagles load the bases and tie the game at 5-5. With two outs, the final out would come on a
Napolitano Jr. connection as senior catcher
Thomas Napolitano Jr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) connected with his rookie righty to catch the base runner stealing home and keep the game tied at 5-5.
As the Knights were retired in order in the top of the seventh, Severino and his defense would force extra innings.
In the top of the eighth inning, with one out, Prisco earned a four-pitch walk before the Eagles got the second out bringing Jacobsen to the plate.
The senior battled for eight pitches including fouling off four straight pitches before the ninth pitch of the at-bat was laced over right left for a two-run shot as Queens had regained a lead of 7-5.
Needing three outs to complete the sweep, the Eagles opened the bottom of the eighth with a single before Queens turned to Kozerski for a three-out save.
With the Hicksville native pitching for the second time in three days, he would walk the first batter before he swallowed a line drive to execute a double play and erase the runner at first base.
The senior righty would earn his first save of the year as he got the fourth batter to ground out to Piazza and complete the Saturday doubleheader sweep.
NEXT PITCH
Final Day (Sunday, Feb 23) of the Northeast Challenge sees the Knights match up against the Purple Knights of the University of Bridgeport to conclude the five-game trip. First pitch is set for noon.
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