CLERMONT, FLA. – Concluding their Sunshine trip with a Thursday morning doubleheader, the Queens College softball team matched up against Bemidji State University Beavers and Lake Erie College Storm at Legends Way Field.
Opening the morning against the Beavers it would be missed opportunities for the Knights as they left eight base runners stranded before Bemidji recorded eight unanswered runs to defeat Queens to the final score of 9-1. In their final game of the trip against the Storm Queens jumped ahead 7-1 through the first three innings of play before the visitors rallied back to tie the game 8-8 in the top of the seventh inning. Senior third baseman
Emma Zumpol (Patchogue, N.Y.) would deliver the winning run with a RBI double out to center field as Queens earned a 9-8 victory.
Queens concludes their Florida trip with an overall record of 4-6.
Game Recap vs. Bemidji State University
The Knights fell behind 1-0 in the bottom of the first inning as the Beavers took advantage of a fielding error.
Queens would respond by using a hit by pitch, a single and a walk to load the bases before sophomore shortstop
Kadie Cain (Hauppauge, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, R) scored on a wild pitch to tie the game 1-1 but the Knights would leave the bases loaded to end the top of the second inning.
The Beavers responded using two hits, a walk, and a fielding error to take a 4-1 lead after two complete innings of play.
As the Knights left five base runners over the next three innings of play, Bemidji would tack in five runs in the bottom of the fifth to defeat Queens to the final score of 9-1 Thursday morning.
Game Recap vs. Lake Erie College
In their final game of the trip, the Knights recorded 10 hits led by Cain's
(3-4 AB 2RBI, R) three-hit performance, while the duo of senior center fielder
Amanda Baez (Selden, N.Y.) (2-2 AB, 2B, RBI, BB, 2R) and Zumpol
(2-4 AB, 2 2B, 2RBI, 2R) along with the trio of senior right fielder
Caroline Pescatore (North Babylon, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, BB, R), junior left fielder
Brianna Call (Fishkill, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, 2B, R) and sophomore catcher
Shona Willoughby (Benalto, Alberta) (1-1 AB, 2B, 3RBI, 3BB).
With junior righty
Sam Voskinarian (East Northport, N.Y.) earning the final start of the trip, the junior would keep the Storm at bay as she worked out of a lead-off fielding error before her offense went to work.
Queens got a quick start with the help of a walk to sophomore left fielder
Sienna Denino (North Babylon, N.Y.), hit by pitch to Zumpol, and a walk to Baez as the Knights loaded the bases with one out. Led by Cain's first hit of the game, the sophomore would tally a two-RBI single out to left field to put Queens up 2-0.
As the Storm got the second out, Willoughby recorded a two-RBI double out to left center field as Queens took a 4-0 lead.
Lake Erie would get a run back in the top of the second before Queens tallied three doubles off the bat of Call, Zumpol, and Baez with the senior duo recording the two RBI as the Knights took a 6-1 lead.
As Voskinarian held off the Storm in the top of the third, Pescatore would take advantage of a fielding error to score as the Knights went up 7-1 after three complete innings of play.
With Queens continuing to base runners stranded the Storm started to rally as they scored three runs in the fifth to cut the advantage down to 7-4.
The Knights would get a key run in the bottom of the sixth as Willoughby drew her third walk of the inning to plate her third run of the game as Queens was able to take an 8-4 heading into the seventh inning of play.
The Storm would come back to tie the game in the top of the seventh setting up a dramatic final ending to the game.
Denino battled for a six-pitch walk to open the home half of the seventh before junior first baseman
Allie Parascandola (East Quoque, N.Y.) advanced Denino to second with a successful sac bunt.
Zumpol would deliver the winning run with a RBI double out to right center field as Queens earned their fourth victory of the year to conclude a tough opening 10 games.
NEXT PITCH
Returning home, the Knights head to Garden City, N.Y. on Tuesday, Mar. 18 as they match up against Adelphi University Panthers in a non-conference doubleheader. The first pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
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