FLUSHING, N.Y. – Looking to bounce back after falling in game one of the East Coast Conference series Thursday afternoon against D'Youville University Saints, the Queens College baseball team bounced back Friday afternoon as they earned the doubleheader sweep at Hennekens Stadium.
In game two of the series, the Knights would utilize the small ball as the offense outhit the Saints 16-6 with all starting players recording a hit. Two Knights in senior second baseman
Robert Jacobsen (Temecula, Calif.) (3-5 AB, 3R), and rookie third baseman
Tommy Pasqua (Williston Park, N.Y.) (3-4 AB, 2R) combined for six hits and five runs scored.
The trio of senior center fielder
Nick O'Conner (Wantagh, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, RBI), rookie catcher
Jake Levesque (Pinellas Park, Fla.) (2-3 AB, 2RBI, R) and junior shortstop
Nick Piazza (Queens, N.Y.) (2-3 AB, RBI) combined for six hits, four RBI and one run scored.
Lastly sophomore right fielder
Michael Vilardi (Massapequa, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, RBI, R, BB), graduate student designated hitter
Penn Sealey (Raleigh, N.C.) (1-5 AB, RBI), senior first baseman
Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (1-5 AB) and senior left fielder
Leo Alvarez (Oceanside, N.Y.) (1-4 AB, R, BB) combined for four hits, two RBI and two runs scored.
On the mound senior righty
Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) (ND, 7.0 IP, 3H, 3ER, 3BB, 6K) and senior lefty
Nate Rodriguez (Hamilton, N.J.) (W, 2-1, 2.0 IP, 3H, 3R, 2ER, BB, 2K) combined to limit the Saints to six hits, five runs scored, while striking out eight batters as the Knights offense rallied in the home frame of the eighth before Rodriguez retired the Saints in order in the top of the ninth to earn his second victory of the year and Queens fourth in ECC play.
In the nightcap, six Knights recorded multi-hit games with Vilardi
(2-3 AB, 2B, 2RBI, 2R, BB), Piazza
(2-3 AB, HR, 2RBI, 2R), Filip
(2-4 AB, RBI, R), Sealey
(2-3 AB, BB), Alvarez
(2-3 AB, R, BB), Jacobsen
(2-4 AB, R), senior catcher
Thomas Napolitano Jr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) (1-3 AB, 2RBI, R) and O'Conner
(1-4 AB, 2B, RBI) combining for 14 hits, eight RBI and eight runs scored.
On the mound, Four Knights in righty Sealey
(3.0 IP, 1H, 1R, 3K), rookie righty
Severino Napolitano Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) (W, 2-3, 1.1 IP, 3H, 2ER, BB, K), sophomore lefty
Jordan Babbo (Merrick, N.Y.) (1.0 IP, H, BB) and Rodriguez
(S, 3, 1.2 IP, 4H 3R, 2BB, 3K) held the Saints at bay as they allowed nine hits, six runs of which two were earned while striking out eight batters as
Severino Napolitano Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) earned his second career win and Rodriguez earned his third save of the year and second of the week as Queens completed a doubleheader sweep to the score of 8-6.
With the victories, the Knights improve to 5-6 in ECC play.
CAREER MILESTONE
With their Friday doubleheader sweep, head coach
Chris Reardon earned his 400
th career win as a head coach which started with Caldwell University Cougars before the Queens alum took over the Queens College baseball program.
GAME TWO RECAP (QUEENS 9, D'YOUVILLE 5)
Needing to bounce back after a tough game one loss Thursday, the Knights put the ball in the hand of the senior right Kozerski to lead the way and the Hicksville native would put together a career performance on the mound in the start.
Through the first two innings of play, Kozerski allowed just one base runner with a walk in the second as he kept the Saints off the scoreboard.
As Kozerski worked out of a two-out walk in the top of the second, his offense would deliver in the home half of the second.
As Alvarez reached first base on a single, the Knights would utilize the same ball as Jocobsen and Pasqua executed back-to-back bunt singles to load the bases. With no outs, and bases loaded, rookie Levesque would put Queens up 2-0 with a two-RBI single to right field as Alvarez and Jacobsen scored.
Next batter Piazza would execute the third bunt single of the single as he drove home Pasqua as the Knights took a 3-0 lead.
With still no outs, Vilardi would battle back from a 0-2 count to earn a six-pitch walk as Queens load the bases. But the Saints would execute a double play to get two outs but it would allow Levesque to score as the Knights took a 4-0 lead after two complete innings of play.
Leading 4-0, Kozerski worked out of another two-out walk in the top of the third before the Hicksville native worked three straight cleaning as he retired 10 straight batters to keep his side in front.
Looking to give Kozerski more breathing room, the Knights executed back-to-back bunt singles play which would allow Jacobsen to score as Queens took a 5-0 lead.
Entering the top of the seventh, a lead-off walk would give the Saints their first base runner since the top of the third before a bloop single broke the no-hitter for the senior righty. As the Saints put two base runners on the first time in the game, Kozerski would dig deep as he went on to retire the next three batters beginning with his sixth punchout of the day before he induced a pop up to Filip and ended the frame by inducing a grounder straight back to him to end the top of the seventh.
The Saints would rally back in the top of the eighth as they notched back-to-back hits ending Kozerski's career outing as Queens turned to Rodriguez to keep the lead intact.
It would be a shaky start for Rodriguez as a walk loaded the bases before a single through the right side got the Saints on board. The senior lefty would record a strikeout for the first out of the inning before a two-RBI single got the visitors within two, 5-3. Rodriguez would induce a fielder's choice for the second out of the inning but the Saints would get within one, 5-4.
However as the Saints stole second base, a throwing error would allow D'Youville to tie the game 5-5. A single up the middle continued the inning but Rodriguez would keep the game tied at 5-5 as he induced a grounder to Filip to end the top of the eighth.
With the Saints having rallied back to tie the game at 5-5, the Knights would send 10 batters to the plate in the home frame of the eighth to reclaim the lead.
Jacobsen and Pasqua would record back-to-back singles before a throwing error allowed Levesque to reach first base safely as Queens loaded the bases. The Knights would turn to rookie
Peter Bounougias (Plainview, N.Y.) to pinch hit but the Plainview would bring home the winning run without lifting his bat as he got hit by a pitch to put Queens up 6-5 as he brought home Jacobsen.
Three straight RBI singles from Vilardi, Sealey, and O'Conner would put the Knights 9-5 after eight complete innings of play before Rodriguez worked a clean 1-2-3 inning in the top of the ninth as Queens evened the series at 1-1 with a 9-5 victory.
GAME THREE RECAP (QUEENS 8, D'YOUVILLE 6)
Looking to complete the doubleheader sweep, Sealey would make his first career start as a Knight.
The senior opened his outing with a four-pitch strikeout before a throwing error put a base runner on for the Saints. As Sealey recorded his second strikeout of the inning, a single up the middle gave the Saints a 1-0 lead before Sealey left the base runner stranded on first as he induced a fly out to O'Conner in center fielder.
But as Queens left three base runners over the next three innings of play, Sealey would keep the Saints off the board working two straight clean innings before the Knights turned to rookie
Severino Napolitano Jr. (Brooklyn, N.Y.) in the top of the fourth inning. The Saints opened the frame with a double to left field but the rookie would stick to the task as he retired the next three batters in a row to keep the 1-0 deficit intact.
Trailing 1-0 entering the home half of the fourth, the Knights offense would send 10 batters to the plate recording seven hits to take a 6-1 lead. Three straight singles from Filip, Alvarez, and Jacobsen would load the bases for the Knights before the Saints got the first out of the inning with an infield fly.
Senior catcher
Thomas Napolitano Jr. (Scottsdale, Ariz.) would put battle back from a 0-2 count before he laced the fifth pitch of his at-bat for a two-RBI single to left field as Filip and Alvarez scored giving Queens a 2-1 lead. A RBI bunt single from Piazza would score Jacobsen as the Knights took a 3-1 lead before a RBI double to right center from Vilardi put the Knights up 5-1. But as the Saints got the second out of the inning, a RBI double to right field from O'Conner would score Vilardi as the Knights took a 6-1 lead after four complete innings of play.
The Saints would cut into the lead in the top of the fifth as the rookie Napolitano Jr. was unable to work out of the one-out bases-loaded jam. The Knights would call on Babbo for the final two out of the inning and keep the lead intact. Babbo would get the second out of the inning with fly out to O'Conner to center field before a walk loaded the bases again but Babbo would dig deep as he was able to work out of the jam as he induced a fly out Alvarez in left field for the third out of the inning
In the top of the sixth, Babbo would get the first out of the inning as he induced a fly out to Alvarez in left field before a single to left center forced another Knights call to the bullpen.
With the Knights leading 6-3, Queens would turn to Rodriguez for the second time on the day. The senior lefty would keep the Knights lead intact as he was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam.
Only leading by three runs, 6-3 in a seven-inning game, the Knights would add two more runs to their tally to give Rodriguez further breathing room.
As the Saints opened the home half of the sixth retiring the first batter, Piazza looking at a 2-1 would lace a solo shot to left field to put the Knights up 7-3. Vilardi and Sealey would draw back-to-back walks before the Saints were able to get the second out of the inning as they got Sealey out at second base. The Knights would take an 8-3 lead behind a RBI single to right field from Filip scoring Vilardi from third.
With Queens leading 8-3 and D'Youville down to their final three outs of the game, it would be a dramatic finish to the game. The Saints opened the frame with a single to right center before the Southpaw induced a swinging strikeout for the first out of the inning.
As a walk put runners on second and first, a fielding error would allow the Saints to score their fourth run of the game before a double to right field got the visitors within two, 8-6 before a single to left field put runners on the corner.
With the tying run at first base, and only one out, Rodriguez would dig deep as the Hamilton native recorded his second strikeout of the inning in a seven-pitch battle as the Saints were now down to their final out of the game.
Rodriguez facing his eighth batter of the frame would battle back from a 1-0, and 3-1 count to draw a full count before he induced a grounder to Jacobsen with his sixth pitch of the at-bat to record out the final out of the game and give Queens a Friday afternoon doubleheader sweep and earn their fifth ECC victory of the year.
NEXT PITCH
The Knights conclude the four-game series against the Saints on Saturday, Apr. 19 at Hennekens Stadium as Queens looks to clinch their first ECC series of the year. The first pitch is set for noon.
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