Before the first pitch was even thrown on Friday afternoon, Quinnipiac head coach Hillary Smith had a message for her team. Be loud. Play loose. Have fun.

The Bobcats did all three.

Behind seven RBIs from senior captain and catcher Kennedy Demott, and two strong starts from its pitching staff, Quinnipiac took both games of the doubleheader against the Manhattan Jaspers by scores of 6-0 and 10-1. The Bobcats extended their home winning streak continuing to establish themselves near the top of the MAAC standings.

“We worked really hard our week, and we had a good game plan, and we watched a lot of film on them,” Smith said. “We knew they were a scrappy team and a tough team, and we’re just excited about how we performed today.”

Game one was a pitching duel for the better part of three innings. Sophomore pitcher Shannon Kendall carved through the Manhattan lineup from the opening frames, retiring seven of the first nine batters she faced. Junior pitcher Karissa Spring kept the Jaspers in the game early, even as the Bobcats put pressure on the basepaths.

Quinnipiac broke through in the bottom of the first when senior infielder and co-captain Sofia Vega ripped a 2-2 pitch to the warning track in center for a triple. After senior outfielder Ally Hochstadter drew a walk, Demott singled to right field to score Vega and give the Bobcats the early lead.

What followed was a stretch of scoreless action that tested the patience of both teams. The Bobcats went down in order in the second and third innings as the dugout tried to will something into existence, humming the opening bars of “Return of the Mack” to build energy. It did not translate immediately, but the atmosphere for the day had been set.

Demott crushed any remaining tension in the bottom of the fourth. On the first pitch she saw from Spring, she launched a no doubt solo home run to right field that gave Quinnipiac a 2-0 cushion. When asked after the game which of her many hits stood out most, Demott pointed not to the home run, but to a later at-bat where she stayed back on a changeup.

“Those are harder to hit,” Demott said. “I stayed back with the changeup, and I think that was something I’m more proud of, because it wasn’t just trying to hit a fast pitch.”

The fifth inning broke the game open. Senior outfielder Noelle Reid and senior outfielder Mary Fogg each singled on full counts to put runners on before Vega worked a walk to load the bases. Spring hit Hochstadter to force in a run. Demott’s hit into a fielder’s choice that plated two more. Senior shortstop Natalia Apatiga added an RBI single of her own to left center. By the time freshman pitcher Natalye DeBus relieved Spring, the Bobcats had pushed across four runs with two outs to take a 6-0 lead.

“I was just really proud of the team, and how many runs we scored with two outs today,” Smith said. “I thought that was pretty amazing.”

Kendall finished her day after six scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out four on just 87 pitches. Freshman right-hander Jasmine Kline closed the door in the seventh, striking out freshman infielder Michayla Rodriguez to complete the shutout.

Demott’s arm was just as dangerous as her bat. She threw out two Manhattan base runners trying to steal second in consecutive innings, firing bullets to second base that were right on the money each time. She added a third caught stealing in game two.

“Coming into this game, I knew they were gonna steal, and they have some really fast girls,” Demott said. “When there are fast runners, it makes me better. So I was really excited to actually get some competition.”

Game two was never close. DeBus stepped into the circle again for the Jaspers, and the Bobcats’ offense never let her settle in. Demott doubled down the left field line for an RBI, junior designated hitter Riley Potter singled home another. Freshman utility player Kinsley Cox delivered a two-run single to right center that grew into a four-run inning after Manhattan committed a pair of throwing errors.

Demott doubled in two more runs in the second inning, and the Bobcats added four more in the fourth. Sophomore outfielder Brianna Estevez dropped a fly ball in center that allowed two unearned runs to score. Hochstadter followed with an RBI double and Cox singled home another as Quinnipiac ballooned its lead to 10-0 and triggered the mercy-rule clock.

Smith credited Demott not simply for her numbers but for the standard she holds the program to every day. She said there are moments before big at-bats where Demott will look over at her and simply say, “I got you.”

“She’s our captain, she’s our leader,” Smith said. “She just always gets the job done, and I couldn’t ask for a better leader and a better captain for our program.”

Quinnipiac freshman pitcher Laney Adie finished the game with five innings of one-run ball, allowing four hits and striking out three on 78 pitches. Manhattan’s lone run came unearned in the fifth.

Vega, who reached base four times in game one and added a hit and a run in game two,  also shone on defense. In the top of the fourth in game one, she fielded a grounder and faked a throw to first, catching a Manhattan player in a rundown between second and third.​

“I kind of knew that the girl was gonna just mess up,” Vega said. “It’s just catching them when they’re doing their mistakes and capitalizing.”

Through it all, the energy at Quinnipiac Softball Field carried the Bobcats. Vega also spoke about what playing in Hamden means to the group.

“We have our environment here. We have Sleeping Giant behind us,” Vega said. “It’s our house. We’re not gonna let anyone come in and take it from us.”

The Bobcats will look to sweep the series against the Jaspers on Saturday, April 4. First pitch is set for 12 p.m.