GARDEN CITY, N.Y. – Opening a six-game week slate in five days, the Queens College baseball team matched up against Adelphi University Panthers at William J. Bonomo Field in non-conference play Tuesday afternoon in Garden City.
Trialing 9-6 entering the top of the ninth inning, the Knights sent 10 batters to the plate as they recorded six walks, one hit by pitch, and one single for five runs to take an 11-9 lead before junior righty
Christopher Naronis (Floral Park, N.Y.) held the Panthers at bay as Queens earned an 11-10 comeback victory.
The Knights outhit the Panthers 11-9 behind a career day at the plate from sophomore utility
Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) (4-6 AB, 2B, RBI) first career four-hit game, while the trio of sophomore utility
Jordan Babbo (Merrick, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, RBI, BB, R), senior second baseman
Robert Jacobsen (Temecula, Calif.) (2-4 AB, 2B, 3B, RBI, 3R), senior right fielder
Leo Alvarez (Oceanside, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, RBI, 2BB, R) and graduate student third baseman
Penn Sealey (Raleigh, N.C.) (1-5 AB, 2B, BB, R) combined for 11 hits, six RBI and six runs scored.
For the second time this season, the Knights recorded double-digit walks as they totaled 10 walks in their comeback victory.
After the Knights were retired in order to begin the game, the Panthers wasted no time in jumping ahead as they took a 4-0 lead heading into the second inning of the game.
Senior first baseman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) began the top of the second frame earning a five-pitch walk before Jacobsen laced a double to right field to advance Filip to third base.
Next batter junior left fielder
Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) would bring home Queens' first run of the game with a sac fly out to center field before a RBI single from Alvarez brought the Knights within two, 4-2 after the top of the second inning.
Queens would turn to rookie righty
Severino Napolitano Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (ND, 4.0 IP, 2H, 3Er, 4BB, 3K) to hold the Panthers at bay. It would be a shaky start out of the bullpen as the Panthers extended their advantage to 7-2 after three innings of play.
Trailing by five to begin the top of the fourth, Jacobsen opened the top frame with a triple to center field before Patane grounded out to the shortstop, but the junior would get Queens within 4, 7-3 after the top of the fourth inning.
As the rookie righty retired the Panthers in order for the first time on the day, the Knights would begin their comeback rally in the top of the fifth. Babbo opened the frame with a single to center field before a double to right center from Sealey advanced Babbo to third base.
The Panthers would get the first out of the inning before Jacobsen tallied a RBI grounder to first base to score Babbo and advance Sealey to third base as Queens got within three, 7-4.
Sealey would take advantage of a wild pitch and get the Knights two runs away from tying the game, 7-5.
Next batter Patane would reach first base on a hit by pitch before he was replaced by rookie left fielder
Matthew Jackson (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and the rookie would steal second base as Queens put a runner in scoring position.
Alvarez staring at a 3-2 count would drive in his second run of the afternoon with a RBI single to left field as Jackson scored from second to get Queens within one run, 7-6.
With Queens having cut a five-run deficit down to one, 7-6 to begin the bottom of the fifth, Napolitano Jr. would work out of a two-out walk to keep the runner stranded to end another scoreless Panthers frame.
The Panthers would work out of damage in the top of the sixth as they were able to avoid damage from back-to-back singles from Vilardi and Babbo and a walk to Sealey as they caught Vilardi stealing third base before they left Babbo and Sealey stranded to end the frame.
With Napolitano Jr.'s outing complete after a career-high four innings pitch, the Knights turned to senior righty
Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) (W, 2-1, 3.0 IP, 3H, 2ER, 6K) to keep Queens' deficit at one 7-6.
Kozerski would work two clean innings in the sixth and seventh while the Panthers' defense would work out of Vilardi's third hit of the afternoon in the top of the eighth to keep their 7-6 lead intact.
Adelphi would extend their advantage to 9-6 in the bottom of the eighth as they added two more insurance runs but Kozerski would end the eighth frame tying a career-best six strikeouts as the Knights were now three outs from a loss.
Needing to rally, the Panthers jumped ahead as they retired the first batter before Queens changed tactics to start a comeback rally.
The Knights would send a pinch hitter junior lefty batter
Yoskar Guzman (Richmond Hill, N.Y.) to bat and he would earn a six-pitch walk before Queens loaded the bases with Jacobsen getting hit by pitch and Jackson earning a walk.
With Adelphi closer struggling for command, Alvarez earned the Knights their third walk of the frame to bring home Guzman before Queens sent rookie lefty
Peter Bounougias (Plainview, N.Y.) to the plate. Bounougias would draw the fourth walk of the inning and bring home Jacobsen as the Knights were now one run away from tying the game, 9-8.
With the tying run at third base, Piazza battled for a nine-pitch RBI walk as the Knights earned their fifth walk of the frame and tied the game at 9-9. Next batter Vilardi who was the eighth batter to come to the plate in the inning battled for five pitches before recording a RBI single to right field to score Alvarez and give Queens their fourth run of the inning and their first lead of the afternoon.
With Babbo the ninth batter to come to the plate, the sophomore would draw a six-pitch RBI walk as Queens took an 11-9 lead before the Panthers were finally able to get out of the inning.
Having rallied back and leading 11-9, the Knights turned to Naronis to close out the game and earn his first career save.
But the Panthers would not go away quietly as they opened the frame with a solo shot to get within one, 11-10 before a double to right field put the tying run at second base.
However unwilling to let the momentum shift, Naronis got the third batter of the inning to ground out to Sealey at third base while keeping the runner at second base.
The Floral Park would get the next batter on a swinging strikeout for the second out before getting the fifth batter of the inning to ground out to Jacobsen for the final out and earn Queens a comeback 11-10 victory Tuesday afternoon.
With the win, the Knights earn their fifth victory of the year with Kozerski earning his second win of the year and Naronis his first save of the year.
NEXT PITCH
Continuing non-conference play the Knights will host their first home game of the year on Wednesday, Mar. 12 as they welcome Goldey Beacom College Lightning to Hennekens Stadium. The first pitch is set for 3:00 p.m.
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