The Blue and Gray stand at 17-17 overall and are 12-10 in Knickerbocker play with one game remaining in 2002. Last week, Kings Point posted two wins and two losses.

On Tuesday the Mariners won their third consecutive game with a thrilling 10-9 come-from-behind win over New Jersey City University. The score was even 5-5 going into the top of the eighth inning. NJCU scored four runs to take a 9-5 lead. The Mariners answered in the bottom of the eighth. Sophomore Al Giordano (Landenberg, PA) started the inning with a walk, then senior Adam LaReau (Nutley, NJ) walked. Senior second baseman Jay DeBruhl (Camden, SC) put the ball in play and an error by the Gothic Knights shortstop loaded the bases. Sophomore catcher Roberto Herrera (Kingsville, TX) hit an RBI single and the lead was 9-6. Junior shortstop Brian Kelly (Palm City, FL) followed with a two RBI single to cut the margin to one run. After a fielder's choice, rookie Mike Prim (Cumming, GA) stepped to the plate and drove a long ball over the centerfielder's head. The hit scored the tying run and the winning run with a stand-up triple. Kings Point shut down the Gothic Knights in the top of the ninth to win the game 10-9. Prim was 2-5 with one run while Herrera was 3-5. Junior Jon Burnett (Helena, MT) was 2-5 with a double and two runs. He also was the winning pitcher for Kings Point.

The Mariners won their fourth straight on Friday night as Kings Point posted a 7-5 victory over visiting SUNY Farmingdale. Junior Steve Casapulla (Oxford, CT) had the win on the mound after throwing four innings in which the Blue and Gray acquired a 7-1 edge. Casapulla gave up one earned run on three hits. He walked three and struck out two batters. Kings Point made it interesting when they allowed the Rams to score four runs in the top of the sixth, but the Mariners held on for the 7-5 victory. Herrera went 3-5 with two runs and Adam LaReau was 3-4 with a run. Prim led the team in RBIs with three. He had a sac fly and was 1-2 in the win.

On Saturday, Mt. St. Mary came to Kings Point for a showdown in which the winner would advance to the Knickerbocker Conference play-offs and the loser would not. Mt. St. Mary won both games and took the wind out of the Mariners' sails. In Game #1, the Blue Knights' pitcher John Umbro had a terrific outing, going the distance and holding Kings Point to just four hits en route to a 7-2 win. Umbro also struck out 13 batters. Mt. St. Mary scored first with two runs in the top of the third. In the bottom of the fourth, Kings Point answered with two runs of their own to tie the game up. Herrera reached base on an error, followed by a single by Kelly. Burnett singled via bunt and the bases were loaded. Prim then walked, scoring the first run, and senior captain and center fielder Josh Domingo (Omaha, NE) hit an RBI single to equalize the score. Mt. St. Mary then went on a tear in the top of the sixth inning, scoring five runs to take the win. Sophomore Ben Earnest (Englewood, CO) suffered the loss after throwing 5.2 innings. He allowed all seven runs, just three were earned, on eight hits. Earnest struck out seven and walked two in the loss. The four hits at the plate came from Kelly, Burnett, Prim, and Domingo.

In Game #2, the Blue Knights won by a 6-3 final score. Mt. St. Mary again took the early lead with a run in the second inning. The Mariners took their only lead of the day in the third as they scored three times on three hits from freshman Brian Lipski (Bel Air, MD), Burnett, and Prim. Kings Point then struggled again in the later innings, allowing four runs in the fifth and another in the seventh as Mt. St. Mary retook the lead and won the game, 6-3. Prim was 2-3, while Lipski was 2-4 with an RBI, a double, and a triple.

The Lions of Molloy handed the Blue and Gray lacrosse team their third consecutive on April 26 on Tomb Field by a 9-7 final score. Kings Point is now 6-7 overall in 2002 while Molloy, competing at the NCAA Division II level, is 4-6.

Each team registered two goals in the first quarter of play. The Mariners struck first on an unassisted tally by junior Jim Krantz (Downingtown, PA) at 10:58. Molloy answered at 10:11 with their first score of the contest. Krantz put Kings Point up again with his second unassisted goal at 2:16 but the Lions were able to even up the score with 36 seconds left in the first.

Molloy took control of the game in the second quarter outscoring Kings Point by a 4-1 margin to enter the intermission with a 6-3 lead. The Mariners lone goal in the second was a strike by senior Captain Frank Zingales (East Northport, NY).

In the third quarter, Kings Point scored three consecutive goals to tie the game at 6-6 with 5:37 left in the period. The first goal came out of the stick of freshman Dan Gately (Baltimore, MD) on a pass from junior Ross Cutler (Vienna, VA) at 12:17. The Blue and Gray then converted back-to-back man-up goals to tie it up. At 10:15, Krantz scored his third of the day off another great pass from Cutler. Krantz then assisted senior Phil Egge (Alexandria, VA) on the equalizer. The Lions took the lead for good at 3:27 to break the tie and move out in front, 7-6. The Lions then added one more in the last two minutes of the third to improve to a two-goal lead. Egge scored the final Blue and Gray goal at 1:02 of the third. The pass setting up the goal came from Gately, and Kings Point trailed by one heading into the final period.

The fourth saw both teams playing stalwart defense. Molloy broke through and scored a man-up goal at 4:59 to wrap up the scoring. The Lions then were able to hold off a number of attacks from the Mariners' offense and Molloy won the game by a 9-7 final.

Krantz was the leader on offense with three goals and an assist for three points. Egge scored twice, while Zingales and Gately each beat the keeper on one occasion. Cutler registered two points off two assists and Gately also notched an assist in the loss. In the crease, senior captain Teague Murphy (Long Beach, NY) had 13 saves.

Saturday afternoon the Manhattanville College Valiants earned the #1 seed and the home site advantage for the inaugural Skyline Conference Softball Tournament on May 4 with two wins on the road against the Mariners of the US Merchant Marine Academy. The top four teams in the Conference will play in the Tournament at Manhattanville with the champion receiving an automatic bid to the 2002 NCAA Division III Softball Championship. Manhattanville improved at 21-7 overall and 11-1 in the Skyline while Kings Point is currently 14-16 overall and 5-3 in the Skyline.

In the first game, the Valiants posted a 5-1 victory. Manhattanville scored once in each of the first two innings and then added two runs in the third. In the seventh, the Valiants added another run before Kings Point notched their only score of the day in the final frame. Manhattanville junior Candace D'Andrea was the winning pitcher in both games. She was near perfect in the first, allowing just three hits to the Blue and Gray. She struck out three, walked one, and the Mariners run was unearned. For the Mariners, rookie Jill Cookson (29 Palms, CA) was the losing pitcher. She gave up 11 hits, struck out two and walked one in the loss. Kings Point's three hits were tallied by freshman Jessica France (Cleveland, OH), sophomore Jena Jeffries (Columbia, SC), and sophomore Jeane Klaine (Cincinnati, OH) who drove in the only run for the Mariners.

Manhattanville got on the board first in the second game as well, crossing the plate three times in the top of the third inning and three times in the top of the fourth. Kings Point answered with two in each of the next two innings to cut the edge to 6-4, but Manhattanville added another in the seventh and the final score was 7-4. D'Andrea again was the winner. However, the Mariners hitting improved and the Blue and Gray were able to drive nine hits. Manhattanville's D'Andrea struck out two and walked none, while the Mariners' Cookson also gave up nine hits and walked one. Kings Point's Jena Jeffries was 3-4 at the plate with two triples, two runs, and an RBI. Freshman Liz Hagner (Freeland, MD) was 1-4 with a double and an RBI while sophomore Ali Martins (Severna Park, MD) was 1-3 with a run and an RBI.