Uniondale, N.Y. - On Day 2 of the East Coast Conference Baseball Tournament, the Queens College Baseball team (33-17 overall) erased a seven-run deficit before walking it off in the bottom of the ninth inning to advance to their second straight Championship game in back-to-back seasons.
Having advanced to Saturday's Championship game to set up a meeting against #1 seed and two-time defending ECC Champions Molloy University Lions, head coach Chris Reardon and his Knights had their work cut out for them as they needed to force the If Necessary" game seven to battle for their Championship Crown.
Queens needed to complete a doubleheader sweep over Molloy in who the Knights had not defeated in back-to-back games since the 2017 season.
But meeting against the Lions for the second straight Championship Game on Saturday, the roles would be reversed in 2023 as Queens needed to complete the Championship Saturday sweep, while the Lions needed just one win to earn their third straight title.
Game Six (Queens 11, Molloy 7)
In Game Six, the Knights' offense tallied 13 hits led by ECC Rookie of the Year Jorsixt Jimenez (Queens, N.Y.) (4-5 AB, 2B, HR, 3RBI, 2R) four-hit game, while junior Nick Barreiros (Seaford, N.Y.) (3-5 AB, 2B, HR, 3RBI, 2R), recorded a three-hit performance and freshman Andrew Ramirez (Walnut, CA) (2-5 AB, 2B, RBI, 2R) as the trio combined for nine hits, seven RBI and six runs scored.
While four Knights in Anthony Fontana (Wantagh, N.Y.) (1-3 AB, HR, 2RBI, 2R, BB), senior
Reed Hoskins (Freeport, N.Y.) (1-5 AB, R), senior Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) (1-1 AB, BB), and sophomore Matt Filip (Maspeth, N.Y.) (1-2 AB, RBI, R, BB) combined for four hits, four runs scored and three RBI.
As the offense had done all tournament along, it would be the pitching team of senior Johnnie Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (W 2-1, 5.0 IP, 4H, 4ER, 4BB), senior Dean Fazah (Queens, N.Y.) (2.1 IP, 4H, 2ER, 2BB), senior Stephen Castro(Bayside, N.Y.) (0.2 IP, H, K) and junior Danny Gargano (Middle Island, N.Y.) (1.0 IP, H, ER, BB, K) who would lead the way as Rodopoulos pitched a season-high five innings of work to earn his second victory of the season, while the trio of Fazah, Castro, and Gargano would hold the Lions at bay as Queens forced the If Necessary game to the final score of 11-7.
Reardon and the coaching staff put the ball in Rodopoulos's hand to start the game who was pitching on one day's rest having pitched in Thursday's slugfest game against STAC and the senior would deliver for his coaching staff to lead the way.
In the bottom of the second inning, the Lions would threaten to end Rodopoulos' day early as they loaded the bases with one out but the senior and his defense would leave the bases loaded as they kept the Lions off the scoreboard.
As Rodopoulos and his defense continued to keep the Lions from opening the scoring, Queens who had been hitless through the first three innings of play would put the first crooked number of the day led by Ramirez's RBI double and Barreiros' three-run blast over the left field fence to take an early lead of 4-0.
As his offense gave him breathing room to go more innings for the Knights coaching staff, the Scarsdale native delivered with two straight shutout innings as he retired six batters in a row.
Looking to force game seven, the offense would rise again as they tallied five hits for six runs led by home runs from Jimenez and Fontana as the Knights extended their lead to 10-0 after the completion of the top of the sixth inning.
The Lions responded in the home half of the sixth as they cut the Knights' deficit down to 10-5 after six complete innings of play.
Queens would add an insurance run in the top of the eighth while the trio of Fazah, Castro, and Gargano shut the door on the Lions as the Knights forced the game seven to the final score of 11-7.
Game Seven (Queens 9, Molloy 8 (10 Innings))
Having forced the if-necessary game, the momentum would be on the Knights side who were looking to avenge last season's heartbreaking game seven loss as they would now have the last at-bat as they were the home side as they looked to end their 25-year streak without an ECC Title.
Queens broke out the bats early as they put up a crooked number in the first inning of play for a 6-0 lead before the Lions scored eight runs from the third inning to the sixth inning of play as they took an 8-6 lead.
Now it would require a comeback rally from the Knights and for the second straight day, Reardon and his squad refused to let their season end as they rallied before walking it off in the bottom of the 10th inning to earn their first Championship Crown since the 1998 season!
For the second straight game on the day, the Knights offense tallied double-digit hits as they tallied 16 hits led by the rookie Jimenez (3-6 AB, 2 2B, RBI, 2R), sophomore Juan De La Rosa (Bronx, N.Y.) (3-6 AB, 2B, R), senior Jayson Rodopoulos (Scarsdale, N.Y.) (2-5 AB, R, BB), Fontana (2-4 AB, 2 HR, 5 RBI, 2R, BB) and freshman Joey Patane (Commack, N.Y.) (2-2 AB, 2B, R) combined for 12 hits, six RBI, and seven runs scored.
While four Knights in sophomore Marc Cisco (Long Island City, N.Y.) (1-5 AB, R, BB), Hoskins (1-3 AB, R, 2 BB),Ramirez (1-5 AB), and Barreiros (1-3 AB) combined for four hits.
But for the second straight game, it would be the pitching that needed to come big and they would be led by the duo of junior Jordan Sanabria (Woodside, N.Y.) (4.1 IP, 8H, 5ER) and freshman Christopher Naronis (Floral Park, N.Y) (W 5-5, 5.2 IP, 3H, 3ER, BB, 2K) who would be pitching on no rest as they led the way in limiting the Lions to 11 hits, eight earned runs and two strikeouts before Naronis earned his second win over the Lions in three games on the season and earned his fifth victory of the season to lead the Knights.
As Sanabria worked out of a two-out two hit rally from the Lions to keep Molloy off the scoreboard, it would be the Knights who responded for the straight second game to open the scoring and they would waste no time doing it.
Rodopoulos opened the home half of the first inning with a five-pitch walk before Cisco singled to left center field as Queens had runners on first and second base with no outs.
After fouling the first ball, Jimenez would open the scoring with a RBI single up the middle as Rodopoulos scored from second base for an early 1-0 lead.
But the biggest blast of the inning would come off the bat of Fontana who wasted no time looking at any pitches as he laced a three-run home run blast over right field as the Knights took a 4-0 lead.
It would be Fontana's second straight game with a home run as the Knights kept their bats hot.
Still with no outs, Rosa singled to center field as Queens continued to put runners on base. A walk to Hoskins and a liner back to the Lions pitcher from Ramirez would load the base as the Knights looked for more runs.
The senior duo of Teovaldo Estevez (Bronx, N.Y.) and Colin Diez (Levittown, N.Y.) would add back-to-back RBI as the Knights successfully batted around to take an early lead of 6-0 after the completion of the first inning of play.
A solo shot to left field would put the Lions on the scoreboard as the Knights' advantage was cut down to 6-1 in the top of the third inning.
Through the first four innings of play, Sanabria had limited the Lions to one run but the Lions bats would come alive in the top of the fifth as they tallied five hits as Queens' lead was cut down to 6-5.
Queens would leave two runners stranded in the bottom of the fifth inning as they searched for insurance runs.
But the Lions using the top of the fifth inning momentum would get to the rookie Naronis who was pitching against the Lions for the second straight day.
Using two hit-by-pitches, the Lions would take their first lead of the day over the Knights with a triple and a single to take an 8-6 lead.
It would now require a rally from the Knights as they faced a two-run deficit trailing 8-6 heading into the home half of the sixth inning.
Patane who was coming off a career-day comeback rally from Friday's win over Mercy would start the rally with a single to right field before Rodopoulos singled to left field and Cisco earned a walk to load the bases with the heart of the lineup coming up.
The Lions would get Jimenez to fly out in center field but it would not be enough for a sac fly to bring Patane home.
But the senior Fontana would deliver with a RBI sac fly out to center field as the Knights cut their deficit down to 8-7 after the completion of the sixth inning.
After a shaky start to his outing, the rookie Naronis would settle down as he would keep the Lions hitless for the remainder of the game as his offense searched for the tying run and potential winning runs of the game.
But the #1 seed Lions would deny the Knights' runs in the home half of the seventh as Queens left two runners on base.
After Naronis executed a successful pick-off attempt in the top of the eighth for the third out, Queens were now down to their final six outs of the game as the Lions held a slim lead of 8-7.
After the Lions got the first two out, it would be Fontana who provide another spark on the day with his second home run of the game and third of the day as he sent a rocket over 390 feet over center field to knot the game 8-8.
Next batter Rosa's opposite-field hit to right center field would just miss going over the fence for the potential winning run of the game as he earned a ground-rule double to get in scoring position. But the Lions would leave Rosa stranded on second to send the game to the top of the ninth.
Naronis and his defense would retire the Lions in order as the Knights looked for a walk-off victory for the second straight day.
But once again the Lions would leave a Knights runner stranded as they forced extra innings in the championship game.
For the third time in ECC Postseason history, the winners would be decided in extra innings and the first game since the 2014 season when Saint Thomas Aquinas College defeated Dowling College 4-3 in 10 innings.
Already settled in, Naronis would send the Lions down in order to bring the Knights up to bat in the home half of the 10th inning.
The Lions would get Cisco to fly out in left field before Jimenez recorded his seventh hit of the day and third double of the day as Queens now had a runner in scoring position.
Molloy would be forced to intentionally walk Fontana who had already recorded five RBI in the game and they looked for the double play to send the game into the 11th inning.
Rosa kept his at-bat alive for five pitches before he send a grounder to second base as the Lions looked to execute the double play, a 4-6 play would get Fontana out but a throwing error to get Rosa out at first base would be wide of the first baseman which would allow Jimenez to score from second base as the rookie scored the winning run to send the Knights off into celebration.
Queens had successfully turned last year's tears of sorrow into tears of joy as head coach Chris Reardon and the Knights lifted their second ECC Title in program history and put the Year of 1998 behind their backs for the first Championship Crown in 25 years!
Fontana would be awarded ECC Tournament MVP Honors as the Wantagh native held a batting average of .450 with one double, three home runs, six runs scored, and 10 RBI over the five games.
With their victory, Reardon and the Knights have earned the program's second NCAA Baseball Tournament Bid and improved their overall record to a program-best 33-17.
The 2023 NCAA Division II Baseball Selection Show will air Sunday, May 14th at 11 PM ET on www.NCAA.com. as the Knights now awaited to see where they are headed in the NCAA East Regional Tournament. A link to the show will be on the front page of NCAA.com.
Provided by the Queens Sports Information Department.
