By Dylan Butler
Each member of the Queensborough Community College baseball team circled the date in big felt marker: May 1, vs. Bronx Community College, CUNYAC championship game.
The 2003 title game was a carbon copy of the 2002 edition, right down to the pitching matchup. But this time, it was the Tigers who prevailed, avenging last year’s defeat with a 3-1 win over Bronx Community last Thursday at the College of Staten Island.
Queensborough (24-11) snapped BCC’s three-year reign as CUNYAC champs by winning its first city title since 1997.
“We looked forward to this game for a long, long time,” said Queensborough coach Craig Everett. “It was definitely one of the goals. To win it was a real good thing for the program.”
Roger Mischel returned to the same mound where he was outdueled last year by Cesar Alvarez and was masterful. The former Bayside standout went the distance, allowing one run on seven hits with nine strikeouts and two walks.
“Roger had an outstanding season,” Everett said of Mischel, who was named first-team All-Region XV pitcher. “He had a couple of situations with runners on, but he never gave in. He stayed cool and battled through it.”
All-Region XV first-team shortstop Melvin Batista, who earned game MVP honors by stealing two bases and turning two double plays, put Queensborough in front, 1-0, with an RBI-single to left field in the third inning.
QCC went ahead 2-0 in the bottom of the sixth inning when Flushing grad Lucas Brito was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, scoring former Van Buren star Brian Berg.
Bronx Community College (12-15) cut the Tigers’ lead in half in the seventh inning on Juan Martinez’s RBI-single to left, and the Broncos loaded the bases in the eighth inning with one out. But Mischel worked out of trouble without allowing another run.
“I got in a little trouble in the seventh and eighth innings, but I blocked it all out in the ninth and just threw strikes,” Mischel said. “I wasn’t going home without a win.”
Queensborough tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth when Cardozo alum John Basquez, who was named All-Region XV second-team catcher, drove in former Aviation slugger Fadul Bambino.
“This will definitely give us a big boost going into the Region XV tournament this week,” said Batista, a former standout at Flushing. “This team has worked hard to get a good seed in the regionals, and we’ll play our best down the stretch.”
Queensborough garnered the No. 4 seed in the Region XV tournament and hosted sixth-seeded Ulster Community College in a first-round game scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. The winner takes on top-seeded host Suffolk-West Friday at 3 p.m. in the double-elimination final four.
Reach Associate Sports Editor Dylan Butler by email at TimesLedger@aol.com or call 718-229-0300, Ext. 143.
