Box Score

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (May 7, 2018) - On Monday night, No. 2 seed Queensborough Community College pulled off a thrilling 6-4 come-from-behind 11-inning win against top-seeded Bronx Community College in the 2018 CUNYAC/MCU Community College Baseball Championship at MCU Park.

In a contest where an earned run was not scored, the Tigers (22-12) rallied from a late four-run deficit to send the game into extra innings.

Trailing 4-0, Queensborough fought back with three runs in the eighth to make it a one-run game. Sophomore outfielder Michael Mescia got the Tigers on the board with an RBI single to right, while freshman shortstop Chris Astoske smacked an RBI double to left in the frame.

Then, in the ninth, Queensborough had the potential tying run on third and two outs, with freshman catcher Louis Zollo at the plate.

The Tigers' backstop swung at the initial offering and hit a routine grounder to Carlos Rivera Ayala at short, who launched a throw beyond Ariel Irving Lora's reach at first to plate John Fitzgerald as the game-tying run.

It was in the 11th that Queensborough broke through for its first lead. After Nicholas DiLorenzo reached on an error to get the inning started, Fitzgerald hit an RBI single to center to put the Tigers in front. Three batters later, Zollo provided some key insurance with an opposite-field RBI ground-rule double.

"We stayed focused," Fitzgerald, the championship's Most Valuable Player, said about how the team came away with the victory. "We stuck together and didn't give up. Everyone strung together hits and that's how you win."

In Bronx's half of the 11th, the Broncos got the tying run to the plate, but Bryan Torres induced a ground ball to force out the lead runner at second to end the game. Torres earned the win in the decision, tossing two scoreless innings of relief with two walks and two strikeouts.

Freshman pitcher Ryan Sandberg made the start for Queensborough. He went nine innings, scattering three hits and four walks with 15 strikeouts.

"Ryan is an absolute gamer," Queensborough Head Coach Roger Mischel commented. "He is someone that commands the mound every time he goes out there. It's something that was done very well today, even through the adversity of having to deal with some of the errors."

Bronx got out to a quick 2-0 advantage in the second inning, capitalizing on a lead-off error. Freshman designated hitter Derek Galvez, who reached base on an Astoske fielding error, and Rivera Ayala eventually both scored on a two-out RBI single by freshman outfielder Steven Santana.

In the fifth, it appeared that Sandberg and the Tigers were out of trouble, until a wild pitch with two outs brought in Jeffrey Almanzar, making it a 3-0 game.

Two innings later, a lead-off error plagued Queensborough again. This time, Santana reached on an Astoske error and later scored on a two-out RBI single by Emmanuel Frias.

"I have to say that it feels great (to be a champion)," stated Mischel. "It's been a fun season and with these guys. They fought hard and they had the emotions flaring, but I couldn't be happier right now."