Uniondale, N.Y. – Having concluded their regular season on a high note, the Queens College baseball team (30-16 overall) earned the No. 3 seed in the East Coast Conference Baseball Championship as they matched up against the No. 2 seed Saint Thomas Aquinas College Spartans Thursday afternoon in Uniondale, N.Y. at Mitchel Field.
In a game that lasted three hours and 40 minutes, it would be a slugfest in game two of the tournament as the Knights and Spartans combined for 32 runs, 33 hits, and six errors as both sides combined for nine pitchers on the mound.
The 32 combined runs are the most scored in an ECC Baseball Championship game since May 14, 2016, between the University of Bridgeport vs Molloy University which saw both teams combine for 26 runs that saw Bridgeport earn a 14-12 victory over Molloy.
The Queens offense outhit STAC to a slim margin of 17-16 led by six multi-hit games as the trio of sophomore Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (3-6, 2 2B, 2RBI, 4R), senior Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.) (3-5, 2B, 3RBI, R), and senior Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (3-5, HR, 3RBI, 4R, BB) combined for nine hits, eight RBI and nine runs scored.
While the trio of senior Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (2-5, HR, 4RBI, 2R, B), freshman Jorsixt Jimenez (Queens, N.Y.) (2-5, 2B, RBI, 2R) and freshman Andrew Ramirez (Walnut, Calif.) (2-6, 2B, 2RBI) combined for six hits, seven RBI and four runs scored.
The duo of sophomore Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (1-3, 2B, RBI, R, BB) and sophomore Mike Freda (Dix Hills, N.Y.) (1-3, RBI, 2R, BB) combined for two hits, two RBI and three runs scored.
On the mound four Knights in senior Liam Pulsipher (East Moriches, N.Y.) (4.1 IP, 7H, 7 ER, 4BB, 5K), sophomore Nick Kozerski (Hicksville, N.Y.) (W 3-0, 2.0 IP, 6H, 4ER, BB, K), senior Stephen Castro (Bayside, N.Y.) (1.0 IP, 3H, 2ER, BB, K) and senior Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (1.2 IP, BB, K) combined for 16 hits, 13 earned run, and eight strikeouts as Kozerski earned his third win of the season as Queens defeated STAC 18-14 to advance into the Friday afternoon winners bracket.
With their victory, head coach Chris Reardon and the Knights earned their 30th win of the season to set the new Season Single Program Record breaking the old record of 29 wins set in 1998.
The runs came early and often as Queens wasted no time putting pressure on the Spartans' defense.
Through the first two innings, the Knights took a slim lead of 2-0 before Queens started to open the game up in the top of the third inning. Cisco opened the third with a double down the right field before the Spartans got the first out.
Next batter Fontana staring a 1-2 count recorded the second double of the inning with a RBI double to right field to score Cisco from second base.
Sophomore Juan De La Rosa (Bronx, N.Y.) would reach on a fielder's choice, but with Fontana in a run down, the Bronx native would take advantage and reach second base.
With a runner in scoring position, Hoskins would extend the Knights' lead to 5-0 with a two-run blast over left field to give Pulsipher more breathing room.
As the Spartans opened the bottom of the third with a walk, Pulsipher would retire the next three batters in a row to leave his fourth Spartans base runner stranded through three complete innings of play.
With a 5-0 lead heading into the fourth inning of play, Queens would use three hits, a hit by pitch, and five walks to put a crooked number.
Freda began the inning with a single to right field before Rodopoulos battled from a 0-2 count to earn a walk. The Knights would extend their lead to 7-0 as the sophomore Cisco recorded his second double of the afternoon down the left field to score Freda and Rodopoulos.
With Jimenez up to bat, the rookie would get a hit by a pitch as Queens had runners on second and first and still no out.
As Cisco stole third base, Fontana would deliver with the third run of the inning with a sac fly RBI out to left field allowing Cisco to score as the Knights took an 8-0 lead.
Queens would earn back-to-back walks before Ramirez put the Knights up 9-0 with a RBI grounder to second base before the Knights earned two more walks which would bring in the 10th run of the game for the Knights.
With the bases loaded and Rodopoulos up to bat, the senior would put an exclamation mark in the inning as he blasted a grand slam down the left field line as the Knights took a commanding lead of 14-0.
But as the top of the fourth inning took 45 minutes, Pulsipher who had held the Spartans hitless through the first three innings of play would see the home side tack on four straight hits to cut into the Knights' advantage.
The Spartans would send nine batters to the plate as Queens' lead was cut down to 14-5 after the completion of the fourth inning.
Reardon's squad wasted no time in responding back as Queens used three hits to tack on three runs to extend their lead to 17-5.
Using their fourth-inning momentum, the Spartans answered again with three more runs as the Knights saw their advantage cut down to 17-8 as Reardon turned to the bullpen to hold the hot Spartans bat at bay.
Kozerski would see his number called and the Hicksville native would deliver for the final two outs in the bottom of the fifth.
In the top of the sixth, the Spartans would get the first out before Cisco recorded his third hit of the afternoon as Queens looked for more runs.
With Jimenez up to the plate, the ECC Rookie of the Year wasted no time looking at any pitches as he laced the first pitch for a RBI double to right center as Cisco scored from first base as Queens extended their lead to 18-8.
With his RBI, Jimenez set a new Single Season Freshman RBI Record by recording his 50th of the year and moved into a tie for first place as he broke Cisco's record of 49 RBI set last season.
As Queens extended their lead to 10, 18-8, the Spartans would not go down without a fight as they tacked in a run in the bottom of the sixth and two more runs in the seventh inning as the Knights' double-digit lead was cut down to six, 18-12 after seven complete innings of play.
As Castro relieved Kozerski in the seventh to get the final two outs in the bottom of the seventh, the Bayside native opened the bottom of the eighth with an out before two hits and a walk including a solo shot over left field saw Castro's day conclude as the Knights turned to senior Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) to get the final five outs as their lead continued to shrink.
Rodopoulos would get the final two outs in the bottom of the eighth including a very close catch from his brother Jayson on the center field warning track but the Queens' lead would now be 18-14 as the Spartans were down to final three outs.
As the Spartans prevented any more runs from the Knights lineup in the top of the ninth, the Scarsdale native worked the first clean inning of the day to retire the Spartans in order to give Queens a slugfest victory of 18-14 over the Spartans to advance into the winner's bracket.
UP NEXT: With their Day 1 victory, head coach Chris Reardon and the Knights advance into Friday's (May. 12) afternoon winner's bracket game as they set up a meeting with the No. 1 seed and Regular Season Champions Molloy University Lions. First pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
Provided by the Queens Sports Information Department.
