Game One: Hartford

Following 14 straight away games, the Quinnipiac softball team finally played its first home game of the season, facing the Hartford Hawks in both the home opener and game one of Saturday’s doubleheader. 

For the Hawks, junior Caylee English (5-3) started her sixth game of the season. For the Bobcats, Sydney Horan (3-3) started her sixth game of the season.

The game started slowly as after the first inning both teams went three up and three down. The scoring got started for Hartford shortly after in the second. After a walk by Kelsey Galevich and a single by Mara Sczecienski, sophomore Samantha Nagel drove in the game’s first run after ripping a double. Next at-bat, junior Paige Fedak hit a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Hawks a two-run lead.

The Bobcats took no time to answer back. The bottom of the second saw Quinnipiac load the bases after Taylor Walton hit a single, Serena Fogg reached on an error and Gianna Palmisano also hit a single. With the bases loaded, junior Lala Pascual ripped a double down the line, clearing the bases. After two, the Bobcats held a one-run lead. 

Over the course of the next few innings, the Bobcats struggled to string together hits and put runs on the board. By the sixth inning, Quinnipiac stayed stagnant at three runs. The Hawks were able to keep the offense going throughout the game. In the third and fourth innings, they scored one run in each, bringing the game to a score of 4-3.

At the top of the sixth, Hartford broke the game open, scoring three runs. After stringing together a couple of hits and some errors by Quinnipiac, Hartford took advantage and cashed in three separate times in the inning, scoring on an RBI single, a sacrifice fly and an error. Following Hartford’s big inning, Quinnipiac was able to respond with one run coming off the bat of Pascual. 

The game’s big hits came in the top of the seventh from Galevich and Sczecienski as on back-to-back pitches the two Hawks both sent the ball over the center-field fence to bring the game to a score of 9-4. The Bobcats were unable to complete the comeback in the bottom of the seventh and the game ended with a score of 9-4 Hartford. 

The winning pitcher of today’s game was English, who finished the game with just two innings pitched. She had no strikeouts, one walk, allowing three hits and letting up three runs, two of which were earned. The game’s losing pitcher was Horan, who pitched five-plus innings. She finished the game with three strikeouts, one walk, allowing nine hits and letting up seven runs, five of which were earned. 

Both teams used one other pitcher throughout the game. For the Bobcats, first year Zali Adams pitched two innings, letting up two hits and two runs. For the Hawks, junior Julianna Kocenski pitched five innings, striking out just one, allowing one walk and allowing one run on one hit. 

The Bobcats fell to a record of 3-12, but look to bounce back in game two of the doubleheader against the Maine Black Bears. 

Game Two: Maine

After a 9-4 loss to Hartford in Quinnipiac’s first game of the day, the Bobcats looked to bounce back against Maine, but the Quinnipiac softball team fell to the Maine Black Bears 8-4 after just six innings of play.

The Black Bears put the pressure on the Bobcats early as senior outfielder Brianna Neely singled through the middle and later scored on a sacrifice bunt by senior outfielder Kya Enos.

Maine picked right up where they left off the previous inning. After junior first baseman Izzy Nieblas was hit by a pitch, junior infielder Jasmine Gray launched a ball off the center field wall that put two runners in scoring position. A sacrifice fly ball by senior catcher Keely Clark extended the Black Bears lead to 2-0.

The Bobcats bounced right back in the second inning in a big way with a home run by sophomore infielder Kayla Thomas, her third of the season, to cut the Black Bears lead to just 2-1.

Heading into the third inning, Quinnipiac got on base early following an error that put junior infielder Cy Gonzalez on first. Senior utility player Bridget Nasir then reached first base by a fielder’s choice while Gonzalez slid safely into second base. The Bobcats took a 3-2 lead following a double by junior pitcher and infielder Lala Pascual that went deep into center field and scored both Gonzalez and Nasir.

The Black Bears came right back in the fourth inning, getting two runners on base early. Kelby Drews walked and an error by first-year starting pitcher Jaclyn Gonzalez allowed Nieblas to reach first safely. Then, it was Clark that took back the lead for Maine with a single into left field that allowed both runners to score. Clark had 3 RBIs in the game.

From here it was nearly all Black Bears as they continued to pour on runs in the fifth inning. Freshman utility player Gabby Papushka hit an infield single, followed by a walk by freshman outfielder Kyrah Haba-Dailey. To really seal the deal, Drews hit a big inside-the-park home run that busted the game open for the Black Bears. It was the combination of a big hit by Drews and sloppy throws by the Bobcats that led to the 7-3 Maine lead.

In the bottom of the fifth inning, Thomas hit an RBI double that scored Nasir from second to cut the Black Bear lead to 7-4.

The Black Bears were not done just yet, as an RBI double by Papushka scored pinch runner Emma Larke to make it an 8-4 ballgame in the sixth inning.

Due to inclimate weather following the last out of the sixth inning, the game was determined a Maine win and a Quinnipiac loss.

The Bobcats continue to struggle and, after dropping both games today, the Bobcats have a 3-13 overall record.

Quinnipiac will look to end their four game losing streak tomorrow when they play Hartford and Maine again.