FLUSHING, N.Y. – Concluding their final home doubleheader of the season on Friday afternoon, the Queens College baseball team hosted Mercy University at Hennekens Stadium in an East Coast Conference twinbill. The Knights battled in both contests, falling in the opener before rallying for an 11-4 Senior Day victory in game two to earn a split.
Prior to game one, head coach
Chris Reardon and the Knights honored five graduating seniors during the program's annual Senior Day ceremony:
Thomas McElwee (West Islip, N.Y.), Johnny Dezago (Howard Beach, N.Y.) Robert Nunez (Manhattan, N.Y.),
Nick Piazza (Queens, N.Y.) and
Vincent Mallon (Massapequa, N.Y.).
Game One Recap – Queens 6, Mercy 7
Queens totaled 10 hits in the opener, led by Mallon's huge day at the plate as the senior doubled twice and launched two home runs while driving in three runs. Rookie
John Harkins (Babylon, N.Y.) added two hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
Mercy struck first in the opening inning, using back-to-back hits and a balk to grab a 1-0 lead.
The Knights answered immediately in the bottom half. Sophomore
Peter Bounougias (Plainview, N.Y.) drew a walk and Mallon followed with a double to put two runners in scoring position before a wild pitch brought home the tying run.
The Mavericks regained control in the second, collecting four hits and three runs to move in front 4-1.
Queens cut into the deficit in the third when Harkins was hit by a pitch ahead of Mallon, who crushed a two-run homer over the left-field fence to make it a 4-3 game, his 12
th of the season.
Mercy added two more runs in the fifth for a 6-3 edge, but Mallon responded again in the bottom half with a solo shot to right field, tying the program single-season home run record with his 13th of the year.
In the sixth, rookie
Joshua Angely (Upland, CA) doubled and later scored on a passed ball to trim the margin to 6-5, but the Knights stranded the bases loaded.
The Mavericks added an insurance run in the seventh to lead 7-5. Harkins opened the eighth with a solo homer to pull Queens within one once again, but Mercy escaped another bases-loaded threat and held on in the ninth to eliminate the Knights from playoffs contention.
Game Two Recap – Queens 11, Mercy 4
The Knights responded in the nightcap, pounding out 14 hits with five players recording multi-hit efforts. Angely led the way with three hits and three RBI, while Harkins, Mallon, McElwee and sophomore
Henry Tolentino (Bronx, N.Y.) combined for eight hits, and six RBI.
On the mound, junior
Christopher Naronis (Floral Park, N.Y.) ssed his third complete game of the season to secure the Senior Day win.
Mercy again scored first in the opening inning, but Queens answered quickly as Angely delivered an RBI single to score Mallon and tie the game at 1-1.
The Mavericks moved ahead 3-1 in the third, but Naronis settled in and kept Queens within striking distance.
The Knights broke through in the fifth when Tolentino singled and Harkins followed with a two-run homer to left field, his second long ball of the day, evening the score at 3-3.
Mercy reclaimed a 4-3 lead in the sixth, but Queens erupted in the bottom half. After two straight singles, rookie
Dylan Vikara (Westbury, N.Y.) drove in the tying run with an RBI single. Later in the inning, Tolentino launched his first home run of the season, a three-run blast that gave Queens the lead for good at 7-4.
The Knights kept rolling, as they combined to send 13 batters to the plate to score eight runs on nine hits in the inning to open an 11-4 advantage.
With the cushion, Naronis retired the Mavericks in the seventh to seal the complete-game victory and secure the split for Queens.
Next Pitch
Queens will conclude the 2026 season on Saturday, May 2, in Dobbs Ferry as they wrap up the four-game ECC series against Mercy University. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
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