By Dylan Butler
Split was the operative word for the Queens Kings last week,as the club was even in each of its three two-game series.
The week started in Niles, Ohio on July 3, when the Kings took on Mahonig Valley Scrappers, the Cleveland Indians New York-Penn League affiliate.
The Scrappers were coming off a 1-5 road trip and used a four-run sixth inning to defeat the Kings, 6-4, in front of 6,201 at Cafero Field.
Queens jumped ahead and had a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the sixth inning before the Scrappers rallied for four runs in the frame. Mahonig Valley second baseman Joe Inglett, who came into the game hitting .188, belted his third hit of the game, a solo homer to left.
Ryan Church's single to right chased Queens starter Diegomar Markwell as Chris Mowday came into the game. Jeff Haase sent Mowday's first pitch into right for an RBI-single that tied the game at 3.
A double by Angel Bastardo and a wild pitch by Mowday scored two more runs. Damon Katz's sacrifice fly to center scored Bastardo as the Scrappers had a 6-3 lead.
Queens attempted a rally in the eighth, but fell short. Brian Sellier went 2-for-3 with a single, double and an RBI for the Kings. Joe Fitch picked up the win for the Scrappers, now 1-1. Markwell was the loser for the Kings.
Queens rebounded from the loss the next night with a 4-1 victory over Mahonig Valley. Kings rookie righty Mike Smith tossed five innings of no-hit ball, striking out seven and walking just two.
The Kings went ahead 1-0 in the first when Shawn Pearson scored on Dominic Rich's RBI-ground out to second.
Rich also had an RBI-single in the second and scored the Kings third run in the fifth. With one out in the fifth, Rich singled and Shawn Fagan (3-for-5) doubled. Sellier grounded out, scoring Rich.
Rich Thompson singled home Chivas Clark in the sixth inning as Queens took a 4-0 lead.
The Kings road trip continued Thursday as the club took on the Utica Blue Sox at Murnane Field. Matt Massingale, Gaige Thomas and Chris Key teamed up to throw a six-hit shutout as Utica blanked Queens, 2-0.
Brandon Lyon picked up the loss for Queens, despite four strong innings on the hill. Utica scored its first run of the game on a double steal in the second inning and went up by two on pinch-hitter Jeff Stevens' bases loaded walk in the seventh inning.
On Friday, the Kings roared back for an 8-5 win. Reuben St. Amand earned his first win of the season, going 4.2 innings, allowing one one run on five hits with two strike outs.
Rick Brosseau went 2-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored and Mike Snyder, who was recently sent down from Class A Hagerstown, went 2-for-5 with two doubles and two RBIs. George Perez notched his second save of the year, striking out one in the ninth.
Queens returned home to open a two-game set with Utica and defeated the Blue Sox, 6-1, in front of 1,193 at The Ballpark at St. John's University.
Mowday was the winner for the Kings, as the naive of Brisbane, Australia walked six, but gave up just one run on three hits.
Queens got all the runs it would need in the third inning when the Kings scored five runs off Utica starter Tim Schilling. A bases-loaded walk to Snyder scored Pearson and Jose Umbria followed with a two-RBI single to center. Snyder scored on a passed ball and the inning was capped by a Brian Sellier's single, scoring Umbria.
The Blue Sox scored their lone run of the game on a bases-loaded walk by Mowday. Thompson's RBI-single in the eighth capped the scoring for Queens.
