The Quinnipiac University Bobcats prepared to host the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils for just their second home game of the season on Tuesday, March. 12.
Coming into the game, Quinnipiac had lost their last series 2-1 to Delaware and CCSU was coming off a series win against Norfolk State. Both teams were under .500, with the Bobcats sitting at 4-8 and the Blue Devils at 2-4.
Quinnipiac’s first pitcher, Raymond McNaught, was not a prototypical starter. Normally a reliever, McNaught was given the mound in what would be a bullpen game for Quinnipiac coach, John Delaney.
The Blue Devils’ starter was Randy Guzman, a first year, whose only appearance resulted in four batters faced, three runs given up and no outs recorded.
Despite a single from Hunter Pasqualini, McNaught escaped the first without any harm.
Conversely, Guzman allowed a leadoff double to the Bobcat’s center fielder Jared Zimbardo. After nearly stranding him at third, Kyle Garbowksi fought off the offering into left field and Antonio Ducatelli just couldn’t come up with it, allowing Zimbardo to score.
In the top of the second, Coulby Brouilette’s leadoff single was vanquished after Quinnipiac third baseman Dominick Proctor snagged a line drive off the bat of Elliot Good and doubled Brouilette off of first.
Christian Smith and Gabe Wright started off the bottom of the second with a single each. With Dominick Proctor at-bat, they were both able to successfully steal. However, after Proctor went down looking, second baseman Matt DeRosa attempted to lay down a bunt. He was thrown out at first and Wright wandered too far off of second and was put out attempting to get back.
To start the third, Quinnipiac had submarine right-hander Skyler Manelski relieve McNaught. He walked Joe Rios and then Michael Tonmiero poked a ball back up the middle that DeRosa couldn’t come up with cleanly. After a strikeout of Brady Short, Ducatelli fought off a fastball down the third base line for an RBI double to tie the game at one. Pasqualini and Colby Brouillette both drove in an additional run to give the Blue Devils a 3-1 advantage.
In the bottom half of the inning, Zimbardo got the party started again with a single back up the middle.
“We’re gonna set up the guy after us, setting him up for success,” was what Zimbardo claimed the team was focusing on. “It’s a spark, if you get on base, so will the guy behind you.”
However, the momentum was halted when Keegan O’Connor lined a ball right to Pasqualini at third, who tagged out Zimbardo and whipped it over to first before O’Connor had even left the box. Despite claiming he had hit the ball off his foot, an umpire congregation decided that it was a live ball and a double play.
Guzman was pulled in the top of the fifth after a single, balk, and hit batsman. With the bases loaded, O’Connor got his retribution, pulling a base hit past the diving shortstop and tying the game at three.
Quinnipiac wasn’t done either. Sean Swenson put a drive into a flyball to right field that the wind carried over the fence, giving his team a 6-3 lead.
“I was looking for something out over the plate. He flicked me a good pitch that I put a good swing on,” Swenson said.
Brett Leighton would hang a zero in the top of the sixth highlighted by his great play coming off the mound to field a Torniero bunt.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Bobcats went from playing longball to small ball, as DeRosa recorded a stolen base, CJ Willis broke for second on a hit and run that gave O’Connor an RBI which O’Connor dashed for home to score on a wild pitch. All of that gave Quinnipiac two additional runs for an 8-3 score.
Andrew Cubberly came in to pitch next for the Bobcats. After two great plays by Willis at first, things got scary. Pasqualini looped a hit into right field that he turned into a hustle double and then Brouillette followed that up with a blast of his own over the right field wall to make it just 8-5.
Keegan O’Connor stopped the bleeding, making a great sliding grab to end the inning that required him to go under a backtracking Grabowski.
The game’s action then came screaming to a halt as the next three-half innings flew by with the only hit being a double by CCSU’s Jeff Nicol.
Quinnipiac went to the southpaw Matt Alduino in a save situation in the top of the ninth. After striking out the righty pinch hitter, Josh Taylor, the disadvantaged lefties, Pasqualini and Brouillette both managed to find outfield grass to put the tying run at the plate. After a walk to Randy Reyes and a fly out, it was Nicol who found himself in every child’s fantasy: bases loaded, two outs, down three runs.
To Nicol’s credit, he did his job, knocking a single into left that scored two runs. O’Connor’s throw to try to nail the second run was a tick too late, but as it flew home, Reyes rounded second and headed for third, committing a cardinal sin of baseball, as he was gunned down at third base to end the game.
Quinnipiac won by a final score of 8-7. They return to action on Friday, March. 15 in Virginia, opening up a three-game set against William & Mary.
