Eight Quinnipiac pitchers took the mound on Tuesday afternoon against Rhode Island.
None allowed a run.
The Bobcats rode stellar pitching and improved defensive play to a 4-0 shutout win over the Rams, snapping a seven-game losing streak.
“We didn’t hit (pregame). I kind of made an emphasis of that today,” said head coach John Delaney. “It was all about playing championship-caliber defense.”
The game was moved to Hamden on Monday after rainy weather and 40-plus mile-per-hour winds made conditions unplayable at Rhode Island. A second meeting between the two in April will be moved to Kingston, according to Delaney.
Sam Favieri opened the game for Quinnipiac. He hummed perfectly through the first before handing the keys to the bats. Sebastian Mueller and Keegan O’Connor both got knocks to give the Bobcats a golden opportunity, and first-baseman C.J. Willis cashed in, giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead on a line-drive single up the middle.
Frank Craska took the mound for the second.
Rinse and repeat.
Rhode Island could not figure out the Bobcat staff, only mustering two hits all game. Quinnipiac didn’t stay perfect on the mound, but was able to get out of jams in the third and sixth innings to keep the shutout intact. Evan Jasek came on in the fourth, tossing two scoreless frames and earning his first win of the season.
“It felt great. My stuff was moving well,” Jasek said. “We got some weak outs and just let the boys behind me do the work.”
The Bobcats pounced again in the fifth. With two on, Mueller ripped a breaking ball over the shortstop for a two-run single. Since his return from injury on Friday, Mueller looks like he hasn’t missed a beat.
“I think a lot of it is like, when you’re on the bench it’s like ‘Wow man, I really want to be out there,’” Mueller said. “So when you finally are back out there, you’re just like, ‘this is awesome.’”
The Bobcats continued to stump Rhode Island throughout the late innings. Jack Gannon and Andrew Cubberly were sharp in the seventh and eighth respectively. Then, closer Matt Alduino slammed the door in the ninth.
“We can’t be a four pitcher program. That’s not going to work,” Delaney said. “From a guy out of the bullpen, the ask is to get three quality outs, give us one quality inning, and then pass it along to the next guy and create this little chain. ”
“I trust my guys in the pen,” Jasek added. “They did their job today and it’s what we can expect going forward.”
It was a night-and-day showing from the team’s sweep to Rider over the weekend. Quinnipiac got rocked for double-digit runs in each game of that series and the defensive effort was ‘horrible’ in Delaney’s words. The much-needed, quality inning eating allowed the starting rotation to refresh and regroup. It was a statement showing from a pitching staff that has struggled to put up clean sheets this season.
“We were ahead of pretty much 80% of the batters today, which allowed us to pitch better,” Delaney said. “We did a good job with the fastballs and got good defense. It’s the first game we’ve been able to put those two pieces together.”
Things weren’t all positive for Quinnipiac though. In the sixth, right fielder Braydon Seaburg went tumbling over first base trying to beat out a throw and went down hard. He had to be helped off the field and left the game on a golf cart. Sophomore Julian Buchman replaced him and could get an expanded role in the lineup going forward.
The team now turns its attention to a three-game set on the road against Siena later this week. First pitch for game one is scheduled for noon on Thursday.
