by Michael Malaszczyk
After a stellar 2022 season that saw the Molloy Lions go 34-12, the Lions achieved their next goal of winning the East Coast Conference championship.
Molloy and Queens played two games on Saturday, May 14th. Molloy needed to win both and did – two incredible games of baseball. Game 1 saw Molloy come out on top 6-5, while Game 2 saw Molloy win 12-10.
End of 1: Garrett Scavelli crushes a 3-R shot to tie the game at 3-3 pic.twitter.com/feCqjySG5e
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 14, 2022
Game 1 started out electric. Queens came out swinging in the top of the first inning, scoring three runs (courtesy of an RBI single by Andrew Smith and a two-run triple by Juan De la Rosa). Molloy had all the answers for this aggressive start, scoring three-runs of their own thanks to sophomore Garrett Scavelli’s three-run home run. The two teams held each other down in the second inning, only for Queens’ third baseman Lou Antos to hit a home run in the third, bringing the score to 4-3.
Molloy once again answered in the fourth, with Peter Theodorellis hitting a single to send sophomore Chris Einemann home, making the score 4-4. Queens got back in the fifth, with Matt Filip’s RBI single. The two teams once again held each other down until the eighth inning, when Molloy senior Patrick Hoffman hit an RBI single. Two batters later, sophomore Anthony Manisero hit a single that sent Chris Peralta home and put Molloy ahead at 6-5. Though Queens tried valiantly in the last inning, even getting a man to second base, Molloy’s defense held on, and Molloy won.
Brian Morrisey was outstanding in relief. The Stony Brook transfer came on in the 3rd inning and pitched the final 7 innings, allowing just 1 run without issuing a free pass to notch the win.
Game 2 played out similarly to Game 1; both teams came out strongly. Molloy burst out of the gates with an RBI double courtesy of senior Thomas Brady; David Franchi scored Brady on a sac fly, bringing the game to 2-0 Molloy. After a lengthy rain delay, Queens answered with three runs in the bottom of the third, before the aforementioned Peter Theodorellis reached on a fielder’s choice scoring Einemann and evening up the score. In the fourth inning, Queens scored 3 runs, giving them a 6-3 lead. Molloy responded aggressively in the fifth, scoring four runs, courtesy of Franchi, Hoffman, and Theodorellis; all three hit RBI singles and gave Molloy a 7-6 lead. Queens refused to fold without a fight, however, and scored another three runs in the fifth, bringing them to a 10-7 lead over Molloy. Garrett Scavelli narrowed that lead to 10-8 with a solo home run – his second in as many games. Molloy got back on top in the seventh, scoring three runs in the seventh and bringing the game to 11-10 overall. Theodorellis hit an RBI single and scored on an error, while Overturn hit an RBI double. Scavelli hit an RBI double in the ninth, bringing the overall score to 12-10. Peter Theodorellis closed the door with four shutout innings and 7 strikeouts. It was his first time pitching since April 20.
Due to his performance both at the plate and on the mound, Peter Theodorellis was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.
These wins brought Molloy’s overall record to 36-12. Molloy overcame an 0-3 start, to go on a ten-game winning streak. Although a few more losses here and there occurred, after that start they never lost more than one consecutive game, and they closed out their regular season on a four-game winning streak. They were recently ranked as the No. 20 Division-II team in the nation but they have aspirations of reaching at Elite 8 by making a World Series appearance.
With these wins over Queens College, Molloy’s season is not over yet. They have earned a playoff berth in the NCAA East Regional. The first game of these playoffs will be tonight, May 15th, 10:00 p.m. on NCAA.com.
