After a close, back-and-forth game between the Bobcats and the visiting Iona Gaels, Quinnipiac was able to secure two insurance runs in the final innings to win 9-5.
Senior infielder Matt DeRosa had a day at the plate, hitting an RBI single, a solo home run and an impressive sacrifice bunt to score another run.
“He’s being a leader,” head coach John Delaney said. “Big players need to make big plays, today he made a lot of big plays for us.”
“I’m not a big power guy,” DeRosa said with a chuckle. “Coach D [Delaney] always talks about having a good approach. I saw some good pitches, I saw some sliders down and I just got the 3-2 fastball middle-in. We’ve been working on it all week and it just went.”
With the bats, Quinnipiac picked up right where they left off after Friday’s 12-3 win over Iona. In the bottom of the first inning, the Bobcats got three early runs thanks to RBI plate appearances from DeRosa, sophomore catcher Christian Smith and junior infielder Dominick Proctor. Smith and Proctor finished the day with three and two hits respectively.
After a strong first inning on the mound for junior right-hander Mason Ulsh, Iona responded with a two-run homer off the bat of graduate infielder Jim Pasquale, making it 3-2. Ulsh went four innings, allowing four hits, five earned runs and three walks.
The Bobcats bounced back in the bottom of the second inning as senior first baseman Sebastian Mueller singled to score senior outfielder Jared Zimbardo.
The Gaels threatened to take the lead in the early portion of the contest, tying the game in the third and fourth innings, but they weren’t able to take the lead away from the Bobcats once the ball got turned over to the bullpen.
The two teams traded scoring plays until the fourth inning when the Gaels scored their last run of the game off an RBI single from sophomore infielder Nickolas Mora.
Quinnipiac collected four runs over the final five innings to ensure a win. In the seventh, junior infielder C.J. Willis hit a laser down the left field line that just barely curled around the foul pole for a solo home run, his fifth of the year.
The Bobcats’ bullpen was stellar today, shutting out Iona over five innings. Senior righty Andrew Cubberly went two innings, allowing two hits while striking out one. Graduate reliever Skylar Manelski posted three lights-out innings, allowing one hit, striking out six and even earned the save.
“The bullpen’s been good. That’s kind of what we envisioned from the start, we just haven’t been able to get it until now,” Delaney said.
“He was massive for us,” Zimbardo said of Manelski. “He went out there and wanted the ball more than anyone else. He was waving guys left and right.”
The series sweep is up for grabs tomorrow afternoon when the Bobcats face off against the Gaels at 1 p.m.
“We have to come out with the same mindset. That once our foot is on the pedal, we have to keep it there,” DeRosa pointed out for tomorrow’s game. “These guys are going to come out with a different attitude tomorrow, and we just have to go out there and shut the door.”
