Queens College Edges Baseball, 11-10, in Extra Innings

Sabo matched his career-high of four RBI


Rocco has a four-game hit streak after he went 2-for-4 this game

PALM BEACH, Florida (March 6, 2019) – The Stonehill College baseball team, who is ranked No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II East Region Poll,  held a five-run lead before Queens (N.Y.) College fought back and ended up edging the Skyhawks 11-10 in 10 innings on Wednesday afternoon at the Santaluces Complex in Palm Beach, Florida.

For Stonehill (6-5), five Skyhawks tallied more than one hit, as Harrison Sabo matched his career best four RBI for a game high and Rob Duarte registered two RBI. Sabo went 3-for-6 with one run scored, as Duarte went 2-for-6 with two runs scored. Matthew Rocco, Patrick Downey, and Matt Farragher each notched two hits each.

The Knights (3-2-1) saw Jesse Spellman go 4-for-5 with one run scored and a team-high three RBI, Nick Font, Matthew Gutleber, and Louis Antos tallied two RBI. Queens also totaled nine doubles in the victory and two triples.

The Skyhawks came into the game with fire, as four runs were produced by three hits in the top of the first inning, 3-0. Rocco led off the inning and with one out, the bases got loaded quickly for Duarte to single bringing home John Orzechowski and Sabo. William Kelleher followed with a sacrifice fly bringing home Kelleher and then Downey stole second to draw the throw and was caught in a rundown giving Duarte enough time to cross home before the throw came.

Stonehill added one run to the second and third innings to take on a 6-0 lead, before Queens was able to combine two hits for a run to cut the deficit to five, 6-1, in the bottom of the third. The Knights' silenced the Skyhawks for three-straight innings allowing only two hits.


Downey went 2-for-6 with one run scored today

In that time, Queens fought back with eight runs combined in the fifth and sixth innings from eight total hits, to take the Knights' first lead, 9-6. Stonehill found its groove again in the seventh and eighth innings, scoring three runs and one run, respectively. With two outs, Matt Donlan and Rocco singled to get on base and Orzechowski hit a hard grounder to load the bases for Sabo to hit a high fly ball that the shortstop was unable to catch. All runners were going on the pitch and the Skyhawks were able to tie the game, 3-3. The Knights walked in a run in the top of the eighth for Stonehill to see a one-run lead for the first time in three innings, 10-9.

In the bottom of the ninth, with runners on first and third and two outs, Queens offensive pressure was able to get them one more run to tie the game and send it to extra innings, 10-10. Stonehill saw one base runner in the top of the 10th as Farragher tripled to center field, but the Knights retired the side. Queens loaded the bases and Gutleber singled to right field to drive in the winning run in the bottom of the 10th, 11-10.

The Skyhawks looks to take its second game against Bloomfield tomorrow, Thursday, March 7 at Lynn University with a first pitch slated for 11:00 a.m.

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