Flushing, NY | In what was the regular-season finale for both teams, and a doubleheader played in rather adverse conditions, Queens College secured themselves an advancement to the ECC Playoffs with a pair of victories over the College of Staten Island on the baseball diamond today.  Queens won the opener, 6-3, and then used an extra frame to knock off the Dolphins, shaking off their come-from-behind bid in walk-off fashion, 5-3.  Queens extended to 13-10 overall and 12-9 in conference, while the Dolphins finalized their season at 7-17 overall and 6-15 in the ECC.

GAME ONE
Just like in their win yesterday at CSI, Queens used a big inning to do most of their damage in game one of this one, roughing up CSI starter Nick Metzger in the fourth inning in what was otherwise a pretty even game throughout.  Queens starter Liam Pulsipher was crisp on a chilly day, as the rain was also teeming down in the early innings as well, yielding only a single hit through the first three innings.  Meanwhile, QC was able to grab a modest lead in the third inning, when Colin Diez started with a one-out single, and then Reed Hoskins followed with an infield single.  Andrew Smith then tagged a ground ball hard enough to clear the right side of the infield, scoring Diez to make it 1-0.  Metzger settled to retire the Knights, but QC had made its mark.

After another 1-2-3 inning for Pulsipher in the fourth, Queens had its damaging inning.  Jayson Rodopolous started with a deep infield single and then Corey Tingo followed with a stroke to left field.  He was wiped out at second on a fielder's choice but runners were at the corners with one out.  Jordan Ramlogan then reached on a fielder's choice as well but instead of recording an out on the play, Teovaldo Esteves was safe at second thanks to an error as Rodopolous scored to make it 2-0.  CSI did retire Esteves at third on the next batter, but with two on and two out, both runners advanced on a passed ball before Diez was walked to load the bases.  All the base runners advanced again on a wild pitch, and then Hoskins doubled in another two runs to make it 5-0.  Metzger would walk another batter before eventually getting out of the frame but the damage was done.

CSI, however, would not go quietly.  After Pulsipher was in the dugout for a long time, CSI took advantage in their turn of the fifth.  Louie Mandile earned on with a hit, and after advancing to second on a wild pitch, he was able to take third on a bad throw on a Bryan Birkhead fielder's choice.  Salvatore Trancucci IV then hit a fielder's choice RBI that plated Mandile but erased Birkhead, but Trancucci ultimately came in as well, advancing to second on an errant throw, and then advancing home on a Thomas Marten RBI-double, making it 5-2.

After a scoreless sixth, CSI inched closer in the seventh.  Mandile doubled to start the inning, and Birkhead advanced him to third before Trancucci plated him, prompting the end for Pulsipher.  Reliever Evan Christopher then shut the door from there, but not without some drama, as he got out of the inning via a filder's choice where obstruction was called on the bases as well, leading to an inning-ending double-play.  QC got the run back in the seventh, and CSI again had a golden opportunity in the eighth when they loaded the bases but Christopher would get out of the jam by fanning the side, and then he fanned another two in the ninth to record his first save of the season.

The final line for Pulsipher in the win was 6.1 innings, allowing three runs on six hits, fanning three.  Metzger went six full innings in the loss, surrendering five runs (two earned) on seven hits, walking three, and fanning a pair.  Diez went 3-4 with a pair of runs scored in the opener with Hoskins going 2-4 with two RBI and a run, both having walked once as well.  For CSI, Mandile went 3-4 with two runs scored.  

GAME TWO
With the temperature dropping and light rain still coming down, the teams got ready for another great one in the second game, as the Knights gave the ball to Johnny Dougherty and the Dolphins gave it to senior Salvatore Trancucci in the seven-inning affair.  After CSI stranded a runner in the first, QC got on the register in their turn, as Hoskins laced a one-out triple to center field and then promptly came home on a wild pitch.  Trancucci did settle, but after CSI went quietly in the second and third, QC doubled their lead in their half of the third.  Diez started with a one-out walk, and Hoskins followed with a single.  After a fielder's choice runners were at the corners and Brad Sakellarides did the honors with an RBI-single to plate Diez to make it 2-0.

CSI squandered another base runner in the fourth, but defensively, CSI kept Queens off of the scoreboard in the fourth, after the Knights put runners at second and third.  Gaining momentum, CSI used it in the fifth.  With two outs, the rally started as Nick Cippoletti singled and then Marten drove him home with another double, making it 2-1.  Marten would get to third base, but Dougherty ended the threat there.

QC needed insurance and got a huge run in the fifth on a solo home run by Hoskins that cleared the left-field wall and then some, making it a 3-1 game.  Still, CSI had room for another comeback effort.  In the sixth, Dimitri Papazoglou took the hill for QC and CSI took advantage.  Thomas Joyce started with a single, and after an out, pinch hitter Steven Collica came through with another to put runners at first and second.  Both base runners were lifted for Julian Iacono and Michael Manzo to run the bases and both would score.  First Iacono came in on a Bryan Birkhead single through the left side that allowed Manzo to take third putting runners at the corners.  On the ensuing play, Birkhead stole second, and Manzo took off for home and made it in easily to knot the score at 3-3.  After Papazoglou got Mandile to strike out, Allen Morel poked a shallow single to center field.  Birkhead never hesitated to try and score from second, and in a play at the plate, a rope by Rodopolous in center field landed in at home plate for Sakellarides to apply the tag to Birkhead ending the threat in the inning.

Trancucci would retire Queens in order in the sixth, and despite a one-out single for Marten in the seventh, CSI was retired quietly as well.  A two-out single in the seventh was a threat for QC, but Sakellarides would fly out foul to end the inning on a tremendous sliding catch made by Mandile.  Play entered extra frames.  In their turn, Manzo looped in a single with one out for CSI, but Giacchino Virone would lace a line drive right at third base for the second out and Mandile struck out to end the threat.

That brought the game to the bottom of the eighth.  Trancucci started by fanning the first batter, but Tingo put QC in business with a bunt single.  It didn't matter, however, as Esteves was the next batter, and he powered a long fly ball into left field that Mandile ran out of real estate for, clearing the wall and sending the Queens players spilling on to the field for the walk-off win, clinching them a playoff berth.

Papazoglou got the win, pitching three innings of relief, surrendering two runs on six hits, while Trancucci took the hard-luck loss, surrendering five runs in 7.1 innings on 11 hits, fanning six.  Queens out-hit CSI, 11-9, as Hoskins finished 3-4 with an RBI and two runs scored and Sakellarides, Tingo, and Estevez, each posted two hits apiece.  Marten (2-4), and Joyce (2-3) each posted a pair of hits in defeat for CSI.

The win finalized the season for CSI at 7-17, their first full year as a member of the ECC.  Queens, needing to win all three games that counted towards the standings to secure their berth got it today, as they finished tied for fourth in the standings with the University of Bridgeport.  Because they won the head-to-head series with the Purple Knights, however, they will advance to the playoffs.