After a 13-0 demolition of the Saint Peter’s Peacocks in Quinnipiac’s conference opener, the team will look to continue the hot hitting and pitching back at home in the first half of their doubleheader on Sunday at 12 p.m. The Peacocks come into Hamden winless (0-15 overall), and will look to grab their first win of the season in this matchup. Quinnipiac will look to continue their hot start in conference play, after an underwhelming non-conference performance (5-11 overall).
Players to Watch
Quinnipiac: Samuel LaChance (Infielder)
In the MAAC season opener, La Chance scorched the Peacocks at the plate. With three hits in five plate appearances, a double, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs, LaChance alone accounted for 46 percent of Quinnipiac’s total scoring production against Saint Peter’s. Despite this performance, the freshman infielder has been fairly quiet for the rest of the season with an average of .286 and a total of just 8 runs and 8 RBIs on the season. It will be notable to see if LaChance can start contributing like this at a more consistent rate, or if this game against the Peacocks is a bit of a fluke.
Saint Peter’s: Ryan Wappaus (Pitcher)
Quinnipiac will enjoy seeing Wappaus’ name as the intended starting pitcher for this contest, as he is prone to giving up hits and runs quickly. With a record of 0-4 on the season and an abysmal 14.73 ERA, the freshman pitcher is having a rough go for his team. The key for Wappaus is to settle in for this game, and keep the game close. If he can do this, it will give the Peacocks a fighting chance to attempt to come back into the game. However, if Wappaus gets flamed early, expect a second straight blowout victory for the Bobcats.
Keys to the Game
Quinnipiac: Score Runs Early
The Bobcats need to take advantage of the weak starting pitching the Peacocks are presenting towards them. If they have the same type of confidence and energy on the offense they displayed last game, then the same result will more than likely take place. If the Bobcats come out of the gates slow, it gives the Peacocks a chance to remain in the game and steal one on the road.
Saint Peter’s: Force the Bobcats to make pitching changes
In Saturday’s contest, Quinnipiac was able to use just two pitchers, starter Tyler Poulin, who pitched 7 shutout innings with 7 strikeouts, and relief pitcher Connor Mahoney, who went the final two. The Peacocks can’t allow this to happen again. They need to be able to get hits on Quinnipiac’s starting pitching and raise the pitch count to force the Bobcats to make an earlier switch into the bullpen. If they can do this, the Bobcats pitching rotation will be thrown off their rhythm for while also tiring out the Bobcat defense, giving the Peacocks an opportunity to score some runs and take advantage.
Be sure to catch all the action from the Quinnipiac baseball field as the Bobcats look to extend their record to 2-0 against the Peacocks on Sunday at 12 p.m. Bryan Schwartz and Eric Kerr will have the call on quinnipiacbobcats.com, and for live updates, be sure to follow @QBSN on Twitter.
