Quinnipiac Softball wrapped up its three-game series at home against the Niagara Purple Eagles on Sunday. Leading into the series finale, the Bobcats swept a doubleheader the previous day, winning the first game 7-6 and the second 13-4 in five innings.
The Bobcats’offense wasted no time getting on the board. In the bottom of the second inning, first basemen, Aryn Bombery, hit a three-run home run over the left field wall. It was her second of the season, and it put the Bobcats up 3-0 early.
In the bottom of the third inning, Niagara starter Carmella Phelan was subbed out of the game for Abbey Steen after throwing 39 pitches and giving up three earned runs.
To cap off the bottom of the third, the Bobcats got caught between two rundowns to end the inning. One occurred between second and third, and the other between third and home.
Later on in the bottom of the fourth, Purple Eagles center fielder Carmella Phelan, fresh off her pitching performance, made an incredible catch in front of the wall off a hard-hit ball by Bobcats’ Sofia Vega to cap off the frame.
Overall, for Niagara, it was a slow game in terms of hitting until their bats finally woke up in the 7th inning. They managed their second and third hits of the afternoon and scored a run on a passed ball to make it 3-1.
However, the Bobcats limited the damage to only one run as starter Shannon Kendall closed out the game with a throw over to first after a ground ball was hit directly to her.
In the end, Kendall had a fantastic outing, throwing 68 pitches in seven innings, getting two strikeouts, giving up one earned run, and allowing three hits.
“I was super proud of Shannon and her performance out there today,” head coach Hillary Smith said, “she was lights out from start to finish.”
Coach Smith also reacted to Bombery’s performance in the game. “Arya has worked really hard to get to where she’s at right now, and it’s rewarding to see that work pay off.”
“It felt great,” said Arya Bombery about her home run. “I’ve been struggling up at the plate to start the year, so to bounce back like the way I did today was huge.”
Quinnipiac’s next two games will be against Merrimack in a doubleheader on Tuesday, 3/24, in Hamden, with first pitches scheduled for 2 P.M. and 4 P.M.
