Gloor shines and Bobcats rally late in 4-1 win

By Mike Radomski

(HAMDEN, Conn.) – Quinnipiac starter Chris Gloor pitched eight innings, and the Bobcats scored three runs in the eighth inning for a 4-1 win over the Binghamton Bearcats.

Gloor followed his complete game performance last week against Holy Cross with another eight innings, where he only allowed one run.

The senior left-hander struck out 10 hitters and did not issue a walk in his second win of the season.

“He has worked hard all year long,” said Quinnipiac head coach Dan Gooley. “He was very economical with his pitches, managed the game exceptionally well and had outstanding command of his breaking ball.”

Gloor started off with a 1-2-3 first inning as he battled in a pitchers’ duel with Binghamton starter Jeff Dennis. The Bobcats would threaten in the first inning, but Dennis was able to work out of a jam as he matched Gooley throughout the game.

Quinnipiac scored first with a solo home run from Mike Marmo in the fourth inning. The first home run of the season for the Bobcats’ catcher went over the left-center field fence to put Quinnipiac ahead 1-0.

Gloor retired 10 straight at one point as he continued to cruise in front of the scouts at the Bobcats baseball field.

“It seems like I’m putting the pieces to the puzzle together now,” Gloor said. “The object is to just keep getting stronger. I had control and I kept pounding the zone.”

After retiring 15 of 16 hitters, Gloor ran into some trouble in the sixth. With one out, C.J. Lukaszewski hit a bloop single to center field that he stretched into a double as no one covered second base. Gloor ran out to apply the tag, but the Bearcats catcher slide in safely.

The Bobcats’ starter then balked, moving Lukaszewski to third, where he would score the tying run on a single from Jim Calderone in the sixth inning.

With the score now tied at one, Dennis continued to pitch effectively, only allowing three hits and working his way around two errors. Dennis pitched seven innings and left with a no-decision. Dennis finished after stranding two runners in his last inning of work.

Gloor stranded a runner in the seventh and eighth innings respectively, as Binghamton head coach Tim Sinicki turned the ball over to reliever Morgan Smith for the bottom half of the eighth.

Smith started the inning with a strikeout of Mickey Amanti but ran into trouble as the next five hitters reached base. With two runners on and one out, Gooley called upon Jeff Carino to pinch hit for Bobak Emamian. Carino blooped a pinch-hit RBI single to center field, scoring Marmo and putting Quinnipiac ahead 2-1.

“Carino got a clutch base hit, something we haven’t really had this year,” Gooley said.

Sophomore Joe Poletsky followed with a fly ball to right-center field that fell in for a two-run triple as Poletsky hustled all the way around to third. Quinnipiac extended the lead to three runs as Gloor exited the game with a 4-1 lead.

Mike Oskandy entered in the ninth and struck out two hitters to earn his first save of the season.

Binghamton’s record drops to 6-8 in 2009 and the Bearcats will continue the America East/NEC Challenge by playing a doubleheader tomorrow at Central Connecticut State beginning at one.

Quinnipiac improves to 4-12 on the season and will host the Vermont Catamounts tomorrow for a doubleheader beginning at noon. The game can be heard live on the Bobcat Sports Network presented by WQAQ.

Notes: Brian Monack singled in the eighth inning to extend his hitting streak to seven games. … Marmo finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a home run and an RBI. His home run gave Quinnipiac the 1-0 lead, and his run in the eightn inning proved to be the winning run. … The 10 strikeouts from Gloor mark the second time this season that the left-hander has struck out at least 10 in a game. In his last start against Holy Cross, Gloor went a complete game nine innings while striking out 13. … Binghamton outfielder Henry Dunn left the game in the bottom of the fourth. He injured his hamstring running to first base and was removed in the bottom of the fourth inning. … Kyle Klee and Lukaszewski both collected two hits in the game for the Bearcats.

Click here to view the box score from this game.

Gloor sets career high in Ks in complete game victory

By Mike Radomski

(Worcester, MA) – Chris Gloor pitched a complete game six-hitter and struck out a career-high 13 hitters in Quinnipiac’s 7-3 win at Holy Cross on Saturday.

Gloor fell behind 1-0 in the first after issuing a leadoff walk to Jack Larendeau and an RBI double to John Sills.

The Quinnipiac offense would quickly bring Gloor back into the game with a three-run second inning against Crusader starter Dan Seip. The righthander struck out the side in order in the first inning but struggled in the second.

With two runners on and no outs, catcher Mike Marmo crushed a two-run double to center field as Quinnipiac would control a 2-1 lead. Three batters later, Mickey Amanti brought home another run on an RBI groundout to extend Quinnipiac’s advantage to 3-1.

Gloor continued to shine as he set down 12 consecutive hitters at one point. The lefthander worked his way into trouble in the fifth allowing a leadoff single and walk, but retired the next three hitters to end the inning.

In the sixth, the Crusaders put together a two-out rally and were able to tie up the ballgame. With two runners on and two outs, Matt Perry fit a two-run double to left center field to even the game at 3. Gloor would then walk Billy Cupelo, one of his six walks on the evening, but then struck out Eddie Bleiler to end the inning.

Just like in the second inning, the offensive bats came alive in the seventh inning with a two-run home run from Anes Koummal, his first of the season, to push Quinnipiac ahead 5-3.

Gloor stayed in for the seventh as he retired Brandon McCrea, Jack Larandean and Sills on six pitches. The offense went right back on attack for Quinnipiac with two more runs in the eighth inning including a RBI singles from Joe Poletsky and Amanti.

With a 7-3 lead, coach Dan Gooley stuck with the senior lefthander as he continued hid dominance. Gloor set down the side in the eighth in order including two more strikeouts. The Bobcats starter had eight innings with at least one strikeout and four innings with at least two.

The Crusaders would not go quietly and loaded up the bases in the bottom of the ninth inning. With the tying run at the plate, Gloor induced Sills to ground out to short to end the game.

Gloor never went past five innings this season, going the distance for the complete game victory, his first of the season.

Chris Blanchard was the losing pitcher for Holy Cross. Blanchard entered in relief of Seip who threw 6 1/3 innings, but Blanchard allowed the Bobcats to score four runs in the last three innings.

Quinnipiac has now won their last three games of the season and improve to 3-10. With the loss, the Crusaders snap a three game winning streak and drop to 4-11 overall.

The two teams will meet again on Sunday at the Quinnipiac Bobcats baseball field in Hamden, Conn.

The game can be heard live on the WQAQ Baseball stream beginning at 11:50 with first pitch expected at noon.

Click here to view the box score from this game.

WQAQ makes history with broadcasts today

By Mike Radomski

(HAMDEN, Conn.) – With a simple click of the mouse, and a few simple words, Quinnipiac’s own WQAQ Sports department will be making history with the first simultanous broadcast of two sports at the same time.

In previous years, WQAQ was building up a reputation for reliability and excellence with just a few broadcasts per season, but the bar has been lifted higher this year from the sports directors.

The WQAQ sports department has raised the bar in recent years to upwards of 100 broadcasts, and now well beyond that with the evolution of dual broadcasting.

With the help of Paul Krom, Jack McDonald and the Quinnipiac sports info staff, WQAQ is now capable of broadcasting multiple sports games from many different fields at the same time.

WQAQ is glad to bring you even closer to the Quinnipiac Bobcats athletes and teams and will continue to do so in the future.

WQAQ is also now capable of broadcasting all baseball and softball games on the road and at home as well. It is an exciting time to be apart of WQAQ and again would like to thank everyone possible. Without you, this dream of ours and athletics, would just be…a dream.

Bulldogs battle to sweep Bobcats at home

By Mike Radomski

(ATHENS, Ga.) – Georgia trailed for the first time all season, but seven unanswered runs handed the Bulldogs a 7-2 win and a sweep of the Bobcats.

Quinnipiac third baseman Bryn Doyle hit a two-run home run to left field off of Buldogs starter Jason Leaver for the 2-0 lead.

Bobcat starter Mike Oskandy worked into and out of trouble in the second inning, stranding three Bulldog runners and snapping the Georgia streak of 100 innings this season without trailing. No Georgia opponent has led this season against the Bulldogs after a full inning until this afternoon.

An RBI single from Rich Poythress in the third inning closed the gap to one, while a fourth inning solo home run from Joey Lewis tied the ballgame at 2.

Leaver left after 3 2/3 innings, but his bullpen continued to hold down the Bobcat bats, only allowing two hits over the final 5 1/3 innings. Jeff Walters relieved Leaver pitching 2 2/3 innings and only allowed one hit while picking up four strikeouts.

Georgia sent nine hitters to the plate in the fifth inning as the Bulldogs took a 6-2 lead. Two errors and three infield singles helped Georgia take the four-run advantage.

Another infield single in the sixth inning, this time from designated hitter Bryce Massanari, extended the lead to 7-2. Massanari and Bobcat first baseman Tyler Turgeon made contact on the play and Massanari left the game for a pinch runner.

Will Harvil pitched a scoreless seventh for the Bulldogs, and Mike Palazzone pitched the final two innings to complete the sweep.

Jeff Walters was the winning pitcher for the Bulldogs to earn his first win of the season. The losing pitcher was Oskandy who pitched six innings for the Bobcats, allowing seven earned runs on 11 hits. It is the second loss for Oskandy on the season. Tony Cinelli retired all six batters he faced over the final two innings for Quinnipiac.

Rich Poytress was 4-for-4 with an RBI for the Bulldogs while catcher Mike Marmo went 2-for-4 in the series finale.

Georgia improves to 12-0 on the season while the Quinnipiac Bobcats drop to 0-6. The Bulldogs will host Lemoyne on Tuesday night at 7, while the Bobcats are back in action on Monday night against The Citadel at 6.

Click here to view the box score from this game.

Grimm, Georgia bats handle Bobcats 19-6

By Mike Radomski

(ATHENS, GA) – Six strong innings from Justin Grimm and five Georgia hitters with three or more RBIs was more than enough for the Bulldogs as they defeated the Bobcats 19-6 at Foley Field on Saturday.

The Bobcats would threaten in the first inning with runners on the corners with just one out. Catcher Mike Marmo grounded the ball to short as the Bulldogs defense turned one of their four double plays on the afternoon to end the threat.

Grimm allowed just five hits and an unearned run in his six innings and let his offense do the rest of the work.

The Bulldogs hitters started in the first inning by posting four runs on the scoreboard off of Bobcats starter Andy Mayer. The righth-ander walked three hitters in the inning as the Georgia bats took advantage. A two-run single from Chase Davidson made the score 4-0 as Grimm continued to deal.

Georgia would score three more runs in the third inning and take a 7-0 lead into the fourth where the Bobcats scored their first run on an RBI groundout from Marmo.

Georgia added to the lead with three more runs in the fifth inning including a two-run single from pinch hitter Lyle Allen.

In the sixth, Zach Cone, who came in to pinch run for Chase Davidson an inning earlier, came through with the two-run home run. Cone would also add another RBI single in the seventh inning as he finished 2-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs. Davidson and Cone combined to go 5-for-5 in the seventh spot in the lineup with six RBIs.

With a 15-1 lead, the Bobcats turned to freshman Tim O’Sullivan who struggled to find the plate before giving up a grand slam to Bulldog first baseman Rich Poythress.

In the ninth inning, Quinnipiac refused to go down quietly. With two outs and a runner on second, the Bobcats continued to fight until the final out. An RBI single from Tyler Turgeon and a three-run home run from John Simone brought the Bobcats closer in a 19-6 defeat.

The Georgia bats were the story of the ballgame. Rich Poythress finished 3-for-5 with four runs scored, a home run, and four RBIs. His fellow teammate Joey Lewis added three runs and three RBIs of his very own in the 11th straight victory for Georgia.

The Bobcats and Bulldogs will face off tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the series finale at Foley Field. Mike Oskandy will start for Quinnipiac while lefthander Jason Leaver will start for the Georgia.

Click here to view the box score from this game.

Bulldogs set school record for best start with near no-hitter

By Mike Radomski

(ATHENS, Ga.) – Trevor Holder and Dean Weaver took a no-hitter into the ninth inning, as the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs defeated the Quinnipiac Bobcats 7-0 on Friday night.

Holder started for the Bulldogs and pitched seven no-hit innings against the Bobcats. The right-hander walked three Quinnipiac hitters, but also struck out seven in arguably his best collegiate start.

Holder retired the first seven hitters he faced including the Bobcats 1-2-3 in the first inning. In the bottom half, Georgia took the lead on an RBI infield single from Colby May. Jonathan Taylor, who reached base 3 times in the game, reached on a walk, stole second, and moved to third on a throwing error from catcher Mike Marmo.

Holder used the 1-0 lead to his advantage as he continued to dominate Quinnipiac hitters. Holder allowed a one-out walk to Tyler Turgeon but induced a Jeff Carino 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

Bobcat starter Chris Gloor retired 10 straight hitters before running into more trouble in the fifth. Michael Demperio led off with a solo home run to left-center field to give Georgia the 2-0 lead. Four batters later, Colby May crushed a two-run home run to right field as Georgia expanded the lead to three.

Holder continued to overpower Bobcat hitters, allowing just two more walks as he finished with seven no-hit innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Georgia added more insurance runs putting three more up on the scoreboard. Colby May would add another RBI on a double to left field, and Bryce Massanari would add one of his very own as the Bulldogs took a 7-0 lead.

For the eighth inning, Bulldogs coach David Perno turned the ball over to Dean Weaver hoping for the first Bulldogs combined no-hitter since 1999. Weaver retired all three Bobcat hitters he faced in the eighth and took the no-hitter into the final inning.

In the ninth, Weaver retired Carino on a groundout for the first out but was unable to set down Bobcats leadoff hitter Ben Farina. The Bobcats center fielder hit a line drive single to left field to break up the no-hitter. Mickey Amanti would also single up the middle, but Weaver induced Marmo to ground out to end the game.

Georgia won 7-0 and improves to a school record 10-0 on the season. With the loss, the Bobcats fall to 0-4 but will continue to look for their first win of the season tomorrow when the teams continue with game 2 of the series at 3:00. All games of the spring break road trip can be heard on the WQAQ Sports stream with the pregame show starting five minutes before the start of the game.

Click here to view the box score from this game.

‘We’re not in Hamden anymore’

By Mike Radomski

The ground may still be covered with some snow from last week’s storm, but the simple quote resonates loudly.

The Bobcats practiced last night on Foley Field, the place where the Bobcats will start a three-game series beginning on Friday night.

Jaws dropped as players all around were in pure amazement of the complex and field that they were about to step on.

Quinnipiac had a very productive practice, their first time stepping back onto the diamond since last week’s Maryland series.

The team is ready to embark on the nine game roadtrip starting on an SEC field against the second-ranked team in the country. The game can be heard tonight on the WQAQ Sports stream at 7. Pregame will begin 5-10 minutes before first pitch.

Bobcats start spring break trip with 3 games at No. 2 Georgia

By Mike Radomski

With an early morning wake up call and a stop at Ray and Mike’s, the Quinnipiac Bobcats were on their way to the annual spring break baseball road trip.

The Bobcats will start by playing the second-ranked Georgia Bulldogs for a three-game series in Athens before continuing the trip in North and South Carolina.

Quinnipiac was swept in a three-game series last weekend at the Maryland Terrapins, and are more then eager to step back on the field for this nine-game trip.

The Bobcats will also play The Citadel, the College of Charleston, Duke, Michigan State and Xavier.

All games can be heard live on the WQAQ sports stream. The trip starts tomorrow at 7 p.m. and the rest of the schedule can be seen on the broadcast schedule on the Web site. Pregame show begins 5-10 minutes prior to each game.

Maryland pitching sweeps doubleheader, 3-game series

By Mike Radomski

Mother Nature forced Quinnipiac and Maryland to play a doubleheader on Saturday with the Terrapins stealing both games and sweeping the series.

In Game 1, Maryland starter Scott Swinson pitched a marvelous game allowing just one run in 6 1/3 innings pitch for the 10-2 win.

Game 2 witnessed another phenomenal outing from Maryland pitcher Matt Fullerton who shut down the Bobcats in the 7-1 victory.

Swinson and Bobcat starter Andy Mayer were locked in a pitcher’s duel well into the fifth inning.

Quinnipiac would take a 1-0 lead in Game 1 on a sacrifice fly from Tyler Turgeon but Maryland would tie it up in the bottom of the third.

In the fifth, A.J. Casario singled home a run and Jensen Pupa would add another on an RBI groundout. The 3-1 lead was more than enough for Swinson who only allowed five hits while picking up six strikeouts in his first win of the season.

The pitcher’s duel broke wide open in the sixth inning when Maryland would put a six-spot up on the scoreboard. Five straight batters contributed with RBI plate appearances with the biggest one being an RBI triple from David Poutier as the Terps would take a 9-1 lead on their way to the victory.

Mayer took the loss for the Bobcats. He went five innings, allowing three earned runs in the process. He was relieved by Kyle Birdsall who made his collegiate debut and lasted just one third of an inning.  He yielded six runs, five of which were earned. Joe Cesarini finished going 2 2/3 innings allowing just one run. Cesarini missed 2008 due to an injury.

In Game 2, starters Matt Fullerton and Mike Oskandy would battle back and forth in a quickly moving pitcher’s duel. Maryland would strike first with a two-run home run from Gerry Spessard in the second inning.

The home run was more than enough for Fullerton who continued to shut down the Bobcats. In the sixth, Quinnipiac would score a run on a groundout from Chris Migani to close the gap down the one.

The Terps would then take advantage of a few Bobcats mistakes in the sixth inning. Back-to-back errors from Migani and Mickey Amanti (Waterford, CT) prolonged the inning, scoring two more runs, and taking the 4-1 lead.

Adam Kolarek would finish off the game, pitching three innings in relief to earn his first save of the season. Kolarek allowed just two hits while striking out two Bobcats in the 7-1 Terps win. Oskandy pitched seven innings for the Bobcats in the loss, allowing five runs (one earned) and striking out three. Tony Cinelli pitched the final inning, his first collegiate appearance, by yielding two runs on 3 hits.

The Bobcats start the season 0-3 as the Terrapins return to the .500 mark at 4-4.

Alfredo Rodriguez finished the doubleheader 5-for-8 as he raised his batting average to .250 on the season. Gerry Spessard also played well in the double dip going 4-for-5 with a home run, six RBI and five runs scored.

Maryland will travel to nearby Towson on March 3 for a 2:30 contest. Quinnipiac will now return to Connecticut for the week before they embark on their annual spring break trip on Thursday.

Click here to view the box score from Game 1.

Click here to view the box score from Game 2.

Bobcats lose season opener in walk-off fashion

By Mike Radomski

The first game didn’t go as planned for the Quinnipiac Bobcats in the season opening 11-10 loss at the Maryland Terrapins.

Quinnipiac took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning on Bryn Doyle’s RBI single. Bobcats starter Chris Gloor kept the Terrapins off the board until the fourth inning when Mike Murphy took the lefthander deep for a three-run home run.

Maryland would score another three runs in the fourth inning to extend the lead to five runs. Dan Benick scored on a wild pitch, and a Jensen Pupa RBI single would knock Gloor out of the game. The Bobcats lefty pitched 3 2/3 innings, allowing six earned runs in the process. Right-hander Joe Duffy relieved Gloor and pitched the rest of the way for Quinnipiac.

In the fifth, the Comeback Kids would start their ascent. Bobak Emamian picked up an RBI single, and two batters later, Joe Poletzky drove home two on an RBI single to bring the Bobcats within two.

Quinnipiac would complete the comeback in the sixth inning with a four-run frame. With back-to-back singles to start the inning, Mickey Amanti would close the gap to one with an RBI single. Doyle walked to load the bases and Emamian drew a four pitch walk to tie the game. Marmo opened up the game with a two-run double as the Bobcats took their second lead of the game.

The Bobcats would hold the 8-6 lead until the seventh inning when Maryland would tie up the score with an RBI double from pitch hitter Curtis Lazar.

In the eighth, the Bobcats would play small ball to move runners over and regain the lead. Doyle drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second on an error from reliever Brett Jones. With two runners on and no outs, head coach Dan Gooley called for another bunt that again proved costly for Maryland with back-to-back errors. Reliever Dan Gentzler retired the next two hitters with the bases loaded but wasn’t able to end the inning unscathed. Freshman Chris Migani ripped a two-run double to right field to hand a 10-8 lead back to Duffy.

Pupa closed the difference to one with a solo home run in the bottom of the eighth. Quinnipiac failed to score in the top of the ninth and Duffy would toe the rubber in the bottom half up by just a run.

Tyler Buran led off with a single. Following a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, A.J. Casario hit a slow roller to third and just legged out an infield single to third. Gooley came out of the Quinnipiac dugout to discuss the call with first base umpire Mitch Mele to no avail. Two pitches later, David Poutier crushed a double to right field, scoring two runs, and winning the game for the Maryland Terrapins 11-10.

In a game filled with offensive attacks and a multitude of comebacks, the Terps found themselves on the winning end in the first game of the three-game series.

Sunday’s game has been canceled for the series as the two teams will play a doubleheader tomorrow beginning at 11 a.m.

You can hear the games on the WQAQ Sports Stream beginning at 10:55.

Click here to view the box score from this game.