A little under a year ago, the Quinnipiac Bobcats fell just one run short of keeping their season alive. In their return to Hamden, the Bobcats roared back for 20 runs in their first two home games of the season en route to 7-6 and 13-4 wins over the Niagara Purple Eagles.
“We are really close. We have done hard things together. We’ve done easy things together. And at the end of the day, I think we just know each other…we have each other’s backs,” said senior captain Kennedy Demott.
Demott led the way for Quinnipiac today, backstopping all 11.5 innings behind the plate, tallying 10 total RBIs and hitting two three-run home runs. Demott’s first RBI of the day came in the bottom of the first in game one. Demott’s co-captain, senior infielder Sofia Vega, got things going in the inning with a double and later reached third on a passed ball. Demott grounded out to short as Vega made her way home to give the Bobcats the early lead.
Niagara got their response in the top of the third with a two-run base-clearing double from senior catcher Sophia Marrero to give the Purple Eagles a 2-1 lead. Niagara tacked on another in the top of the fourth inning to put the pinch on Quinnipiac.
The Bobcats roared back for a lead in the bottom of the fourth with a pair of RBI singles from junior Riley Potter and senior Noelle Reid. Things were even at three when the long Bobcat to receive All-MAAC Preseason honors, Mary Fogg, stepped up to the plate. Fogg had two runners on and cleared them right off the bases with a two-run RBI single for a 5-3 Quinnipiac lead.
However, the Purple Eagles knotted things up on their next turn at the plate. It remained that way for a full inning until the Bobcats finally broke the tie in the bottom of the sixth with two unearned runs. Noelle Reid singled into right field for an RBI and even collected some extra bases on errors to get in scoring position. Mary Fogg drove her in for what in the moment felt like the insurance run, but would later prove to be the game-winner.
Sophomore pitcher for Quinnipiac, Shannon Kendall, gave up one run in the top of the seventh inning, but held on for the final three outs. Kendall went all seven innings in game one, giving up six runs and striking out five batters. The Bobcats took home game one 7-6 and quickly began to turn things around for game two.
Game two was a much different tale from the first. Even after Niagara managed to get the game’s first run in the top of the first, Quinnipiac’s offense exploded for six runs in the second inning. Potter and Reid each collected RBI singles, with Reid tacking on two for the Bobcats. Sophomore Aryn Bombery also added an RBI single of her own as Quinnipiac took a 4-1 lead. Later in the inning, with two runners on, Demott collected the first two RBIs of her eight-RBI day with a base-clearing double.
The Bobcats carried a five-run lead into the fourth inning, needing just three more runs by the fifth inning to take the game by a mercy rule. Demott again found herself at the plate with two runners on in the bottom of the fourth. She stepped into the box and launched a home run to left center field to give Quinnipiac a 9-1 lead. The dugout came alive once again as Demott rounded the bases on what at the time was her five RBI day. A team that just over a year ago struggled to get runs late in the game was now scoring them in bunches. However, what no one knew was that this was just the beginning.
Niagara did manage to respond and cut the deficit to eight in the top of the fifth inning, collecting three runs of their own. However, in the bottom of the fifth, Quinnipiac continued right where they left off in the bottom of the fourth. They picked up a run, made their way around the order, and once again put runners in scoring position.
Demott, for the third time in this game alone, stepped into the batter’s box with runners on second and third base. By this point in the game, it was no secret what she could do with runners in scoring position, and a tense feeling set in as she readied herself at the plate. To perhaps everyone’s surprise except Demott and her coaches, she went deep again for a near unfathomable 10 RBI afternoon, and an eight RBI game. Demott’s second home run blast gave Quinipiac the mercy rule margin and ended the game. It was a mercy rule walk-off home run that felt like a late game walk-off to steal a one-run game.
Today was not just a sweep of a doubleheader; it was another statement in an increasingly interesting resume for this Bobcats squad. They entered the season projected to finish 7th in the preseason poll. They took two of three games off the 4th-ranked Iona to kick off MAAC play and handled two teams projected lower in the poll with relative ease.
This is a new look team for the Bobcats, one that, at least so far, has managed to answer many of the questions from last season. In game two, first-year pitcher Laney Adie went the full five innings, collected the win, and, more importantly, distributed the workload compared to last year’s one-pitcher system. After the game, Quinnipiac head coach Hillary Smith spoke to the depth in the bullpen this season and its advantages.
“This year, to be able to have more than one girl to be able to kind of have their back and trust their defense. I think that was good, and I feel like Laney needed that,” said Smith.
There is still plenty of time left in the year, and plenty more games to be played. However, at least from the first look, this appears to be a Bobcat squad that is energized, together, and looking to change the narratives surrounding the program.
