Purple Knights Fall Twice At Queens (N.Y.) College In ECC Baseball Action

Flushing, N.Y.-It was a tough afternoon for the University of Bridgeport offense on Saturday, as the UB baseball team could muster only two runs and a total of nine hits in both games, as the Purple Knights dropped both end of an East Coast Conference doubleheader to the host Queens (N.Y.) College Knights, falling in game one, 4-2, and 2-0, in game two.  Bridgeport is now both 1-2 overall and in conference play on the young season, and QC moves to 3-2 overall and 2-1 in the ECC.

In the opener, the Purple Knights led 2-0 after three innings, but the hosts rallied to score all four of their runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Graduate student Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) had the lone RBI for UB in game one, and senior Matt Rodriguez (New Milford, Conn.) had a pair of base hits.

Senior Andrew Francella (New Rochelle, N.Y.) started the opener for the Purple Knights and did not allow a base hit through the first five innings of action before running into trouble in the sixth.  On the day, Francella worked 5.1 innings allowing four hits, four runs (three earned) with seven strikeouts and two walks.  Sophomore Justin Nyarady (Trumbull, Conn.) worked 2.2 scoreless innings inning of relief to close out game one for UB.

In the nightcap, the Purple Knights were limited to only two hits, both by Andre Marchesseault, who has opened 2021 red-hot at the plate going 5-for-10 in three games.

Freshman Jason Giambra (Milford, Conn.) was the hard luck loser in game two in his Bridgeport debut, as he started and worked 5.2 innings in which he allowed six hits, two runs (both earned) with five strikeouts and just one walk.

Up next, Bridgeport hosts ECC newcomer, the College of Staten Island, on Thursday April 1 at 3:00 p.m. to open a three-game conference series.