Weber tosses a gem, Quinnipiac snaps seven-game skid

Weber tosses a gem, Quinnipiac snaps seven-game skid
By Jamie Palatini
April 24, 2008

HAMDEN — Eric Weber’s 7.1 shut-out innings propelled the Quinnipiac Bobcats to a 3-0 win over Fairfield in Hamden on Thursday. The win was the first of the season for Weber (1-4), who came into the game with a lofty 9.28 ERA. The win ends the Bobcats’ seven-game losing streak, putting their record at 9-25. The loss drops Fairfield to 11-26.

Quinnipiac drew first blood in the 2nd inning. Designated hitter Pete Kummerfeldt lead off the inning with a line drive that bounced off the top of the right center field wall for a double. Joe Poletsky’s single moved Kummerfeldt to third, and right fielder Blake Barone’s RBI groundout gave Quinnipiac the 1-0 lead.

The only other scoring in the game came off the bat of Quinnipiac catcher Bobak Emamian in the seventh inning. With Anes Koummal on first base, Emamian drove a 1-2 pitch from Fairfield starter Rick Piccirillo over the left field wall for his first career home run, making the score 3-0 Bobcats.

But the story of this game was Weber’s command. The senior from New Milford, Conn. scattered seven hits, struck out four and only walked one. He didn’t allow a count to get to three balls on any batter until the seventh inning when he walked Fairfield first baseman Dave Brizzolara. Of his 102 pitches on the day, 76 of them were strikes.

Weber worked out of a few difficult situations as well. In the top of the third inning, he overcame errors from John Delaney, Tyler Turgeon, and Bobak Emamian by striking out Fairfield shortstop Tucker Nathans with runners on the corners to end the inning. Weber was also able to induce two groundball double plays in his 7.1 innings of work.

Veteran Joe Duffy came in for the last 1.2 innings to pick up his second save of the year. Duffy entered in the eighth with runners on first and second with one out, but got second baseman David Dudish to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to thwart Fairfield’s final threat.

The Bobcats will look to build off of this win when they start a four-game series at home on Friday afternoon against LIU. The game will start at 3pm, and can be heard live across the Bobcats Sports Network presented by WQAQ.

Monmouth Completes Weekend Sweep of Quinnipiac

Monmouth Completes Weekend Sweep of Quinnipiac
By Jamie Palatini
April 21, 2008

The Quinnipiac Bobcats saw firsthand what an all-around solid baseball team looked like this weekend. And they weren’t looking in the mirror.

With a 4-1 victory on Sunday, the Monmouth Hawks completed a four-game sweep of Quinnipiac this weekend in West Long Branch, New Jersey. Through the four games, Monmouth outscored Quinnipiac 39-10. The Hawks now stand atop the Northeast Conference at 23-9 overall and 11-1 in conference play. Quinnipiac’s overall record is now 8-24, and the Bobcats now reside at the bottom of the NEC with a 3-9 conference record.

Game 1: Monmouth took the first game of the series 18-5 behind starter Brad Brach who pitched eight strong innings, allowing only two runs on eight hits. Quinnipiac’s Chris Gloor took the loss (1-4) giving up seven runs, four earned, on eleven hits. The Hawks broke things open once they got into the Quinnipiac bullpen. Todd DeFrancesco, who has been one of the best relievers this year for the Bobcats, was lit up for nine runs on 10 hits in only 2.1 innings of work. Catcher Michael Marmo was the lone bright spot for Quinnipiac, providing most of the offense for the Bobcats with two home runs and three RBIs.

Game 2 (7 innings): The first game of a doubleheader Saturday went to Monmouth by a score of 10-3. Quinnipiac led 1-0 after Ben Farina scored on a wild pitch in the first inning, but it was all Monmouth from that point on. Tyler Brett (2-4) was touched up for seven runs on 10 hits over 4.2 innings. The top of the lineup was key for Monmouth, with the 1-2-3 hitters going 8-12 with five runs scored and five RBIs. John Delaney drove in two runs for Quinnipiac with his sixth home run of the year.

Game 3 (7 innings): Monmouth took the second half of the doubleheader 7-1 on the strength of a dominant pitching performance by Matt Marc-Aurele. The Wayne, New Jersey native pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits to earn his second win of the year. Andy Mayer (2-2) took the loss for the Quinnipiac allowing seven runs, four earned, over four innings. Michael Marmo and Blake Barone were the only Bobcats to reach base in the game.

Game 4: The Hawks completed the weekend sweep on Sunday with a 4-1 victory. Again, the story was fantastic pitching from Monmouth. Brett Brach (3-1) pitched 6.2 innings and allowed only one run while scattering five hits. Joe Duffy went the distance for Quinnipiac, allowing four runs on six hits to take the loss. Freshman third baseman Ryan Terry went 2-2 with an RBI and two runs scored for Monmouth.

The weekend was a culmination of the problems Quinnipiac has had all year; spotty offense, erratic pitching, and bad defense. Pete Kummerfeldt has cooled off after a big start to the season, and has just two hits in his last 17 at-bats. The Bobcats’ defense committed nine errors over the four-game series. The pitching staff gave up 39 runs. They’ve now lost six straight games, and are 3-15 in their last 18 games.

But a lot of the credit has to be given to Monmouth, who’s 11-1 NEC record is tops in the conference. Monmouth is an offensive powerhouse, with a lineup that boasts seven starters with batting averages over .300, and double-digit RBI numbers for every starter. The pitching staff is just as good. Monmouth has two solid starting pitchers in Marc-Aurele and Brach, both of whom have earned run averages under 2.75.

Quinnipiac will look to snap their six-game skid Wednesday when they travel to Burlington, Vt. to face the University of Vermont in a doubleheader. This will be the second time these two teams have met in the last week; Vermont beat Quinnipiac 10-7 this past Wednesday in Hamden.

Bulldogs Bludgeon Bobcat Pitching, Yale Wins 19-13

Bulldogs Bludgeon Bobcat Pitching, Yale Wins 19-13
By Jamie Palatini
April 2, 2008

HAMDEN — No, that isn’t a typo. Yale and Quinnipiac combined for 32 runs and 30 hits on a cold, blustery day that saw the Bulldogs outslug the Bobcats 19-13 at Bobcat Field in Hamden. With the win, Yale’s record improves to 9-15-1. Quinnipiac now stands at 5-11.

Yale jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Left-fielder Ryan Lavarnway drove Eric Weber’s curveball deep toward the left center field gap. Ben Farina leaped for the ball at the fence, and as he did so a 20 foot span of the fence collapsed under his weight. Luckily for Quinnipiac, Farina and the fence were okay. It was the 12th home run of the season for Lavarnway who finished the game 3 for 4 with 4 RBIs and 5 runs scored.

Quinnipiac regained the momentum with a big second inning. Catcher Mike Marmo’s double in the left-center field gap scored Joe Poletsky and Mike Bartlett to tie the game at two. After a walk to Brian Monack, Bryn Doyle came up and hit an opposite field single, giving the Bobcats a 3-2 lead. John Delaney was the next batter up, and took Joe Castaldi’s fastball deep over the right field wall, and just like that it was 6-2 Quinnipiac.

However, Yale came back and matched Quinnipiac with six runs of its own in the top of the third. With runners at the corners and nobody out, Dan Soltman hit a ground ball that Delaney threw over the head of first baseman Pete Kummerfeldt to make the score 6-3. Yale followed that up with three straight singles to make the score 6-6. Yale right fielder Jake Doyle then grounded into a double play to score Trigg Larson-Danforth from third, and two batters later Gant Elmore singled up the middle to give Yale the 8-6 lead.

The Bulldogs added four more runs in the top of the fourth inning. Larson-Danforth’s bloop single down the left field line scored two to make it 10-6. Bulldog catcher Davis Stanley then hit a fly ball to right field that the wind carried over the fence to give Yale the 12-6 advantage.

Yale tacked on two more runs in the top of the sixth to increase their lead to 14-6. The Bobcats continued to fight back though, getting an RBI from Farina and two from Bryn Doyle to make the deficit 14-9. Both teams traded runs in the eighth to make the score 16-11, before Yale tacked on three in the top of the ninth for a 19-11 lead. Farina and Blake Barone each had RBIs in the bottom of the inning, but the lead was too much for Quinnipiac to overcome, and Yale came away with the 19-13 win.

The starting pitchers struggled mightily for both squads. Quinnipiac’s Eric Weber allowed eight runs on nine hits in just 2 2-3 innings of work. Yale’s Joe Castaldi, who got the win, didn’t fair much better allowing six runs on five hits over two innings. But Yale’s bullpen outlasted Quinnipiac’s, allowing five earned runs compared to the Bobcats’ bullpen, which allowed 11 runs on 10 hits. Eric Bretscher was the only Bobcat pitcher not to allow a run. Quinnipiac’s pitching staff now boasts a lofty 6.97 team ERA.

The lone bright spot for Quinnipiac was their offense. Eight players had hits, and 10 players scored their 11 runs. Freshman Ben Farina continued his strong opening season at Quinnipiac with three hits and two RBIs, and infielders Doyle and Delaney had four RBIs apiece.

Quinnipiac will look to right the ship this weekend when they start a four-game series in New Britain, Conn. against in-state rival Central Connecticut State. The four-game series will kick off Northeast Conference schedule for both teams, starting on Friday at 4 p.m. at Beehive Field. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday before finishing the series on Sunday afternoon.

Big Green Make Big Plays, Beat Quinnipiac 7-5

Big Green Make Big Plays, Beat Quinnipiac 7-5
By Jamie Palatini
March 27, 2008

HAMDEN — Junior infielder Johnathon Santopadre’s RBI single in the top of the ninth off reliever Todd DeFrancesco propelled the Dartmouth Big Green (6-7) past the Quinnipiac Bobcats (4-9) by a score of 7-5 at Bobcat Field in Hamden on Wednesday afternoon.

Early on, the scoring belonged to the home team. John Delaney’s first-inning single down the left field line scored freshman Ben Farina to give Quinnipiac the 1-0 lead. The Bobcats struck again in the third when Bryn Doyle led off the inning with a single up the middle. Two batters later, first baseman Pete Kummerfeldt hit his team leading fourth home run of the season over the right field wall, and it was 3-0 Quinnipiac.

Dartmouth got their scoring started in the fourth when Quinnipiac’s Ryan Walfield came on in relief of Eric Weber, who scattered two hits over three scoreless innings of work. Jason Blydell’s two-run single off of Walfield cut the deficit to 3-2. Dartmouth then eliminated the deficit in the fifth. Junior second baseman Jeff Onstott, who went 5-6 in the game, hit a two-run shot to give the Big Green the 4-3 lead. Walfield was pulled later in the inning after giving up five runs and five hits through 1 1-3 innings pitched.

The score stayed that way until the bottom of the eighth. Quinnipiac’s Michael Marmo and Mike Bartlett both drew bases loaded walks to tie the score at five, but were unable to take the lead when Brian Monack struck out and Farina popped out to first to end the inning.

Dartmouth pulled away for good in the ninth. Santopadre’s one-out single through the left side of the infield scored James Wren to make it 6-5. The Big Green tacked on an insurance run when Santopadre came around to score on a throwing error from Delaney. Doyle lead off the bottom of the ninth with a double down the left field line and was moved to third on a ground ball. But Kummerfeldt popped out to short, and pinch hitter Blake Barone struck out to seal the deal for Dartmouth.

Dartmouth can thank the top half of their lineup for the win. Their first four hitters went a combined 9-21 at the plate and scored four of the team’s seven runs.

For Quinnipiac it was an overall subpar performance. Only three Bobcats had hits in the game, and the bullpen combined to allow seven runs on 15 hits. And unlike Dartmouth, they were unable to get the big hit when they needed it. The lone bright spot in the bullpen for Quinnipiac was Eric Bretscher who gave up no runs and struck out five in his two innings of work.

The Bobcats will look to get back on track at home this weekend in a doubleheader against Hartford on Sunday. Both games will be broadcasted by WQAQ.com, with Mike Radomski and Scott Sheahen on the call starting at 11:55am.

Quinnipiac Baseball Endures Disappointing Spring Road Trip

Quinnipiac Baseball Endures Disappointing Spring Road Trip
By Jamie Palatini
March 19, 2008

It’s certainly not the start Head Coach Dan Gooley was hoping for.

Quinnipiac University’s Baseball Team kicked off its season with a southern spring road trip that ended this past Sunday. The Bobcats finished the road trip with a 2-8 record against some of the stiffest competition they will face this year, which included Duke, Michigan State, and Davidson.

If you want to find reasons for this team’s struggles so far, look no further than the pitching staff. Through 10 games the Bobcats pitching staff’s ERA is 7.67, and overall the team has allowed 85 runs. They have also allowed 10 or more runs in six of their 10 games.

But despite the poor pitching, Quinnipiac has had good offensive production during the first week of the season. The Bobcats scored 15 runs in both of their two wins and are averaging over six runs per game.

Some standout performers from the road trip for the Bobcats include First Baseman/Designated Hitter Pete Kummerfeldt and infielders Tyler Turgeon and John Delaney. Kummerfeldt homered in each of the Bobcats first three games, and currently leads the team those three home runs, a .385 batting average and 11 RBIs. Freshman Tyler Turgeon made an immediate impact with six RBI’s in the Bobcats first game, a 15-10 win over Davidson. Senior infielder John Delaney is tied for the team lead in hits with 15, and has been one of the most consistent performers for the team thus far with a .325 average, two home runs and nine RBIs.

However, the lack of pitching has to be a concern for Gooley. Of the 6 pitchers who have started games for Quinnipiac, only 2 have ERAs below 9.00. Luckily for the Bobcats, they’ve made their way through the toughest part of their schedule, and hopefully this experience will pay off down the road. They’ll try and right the ship this Thursday when they host Fairfield at 3 PM.

Binkoski Signs Minor League Deal With Phillies

Binkoski Signs Minor League Deal With Phillies
By Zach Smart

About 5.6 miles from the campus of Quinnipiac University lays a small baseball field at North Haven High school, where Tim Binkoski used to jump on opposing pitchers, rob hitters of extra-base hits in center field, and mow down the meat of potent lineups on the hill.

Binkoski, following a storied four-year stay at North Haven High—where he guided his team to the Class L state championship in 2003, his senior year—trekked 10 minutes up I-91 and quickly picked up where he left off at North Haven. A heavily pursued product on the recruiting circuit, Binkoski started in center as a freshman and evolved into one of the NEC’s top hitters. During his sophomore season, Binkoski’s name was etched in championship lure. The North Haven-bred Binkoski hit .340 to help propel the Bobcats to a NCAA tournament berth.

During the summer of 2006, Binkoski was stung by the injury mosquito. Hampered by a few nagging injuries, Binkoski admitted he didn’t hit the way he should have been in the summer leagues. “I (stunk) for a while,” said a joking Binkoski, sporting a smile outside Primo Pizza in Hamden back in September.

That’s where the jokes end. Binkoski spent nearly the entire fall and winter season getting in tip-top shape for his senior season.

Adopting the mentality and regimen of workout fiend, Binkoski hit the weight room, track, and worked on his swing. During the winter, Binkoski (an all-league basketball player at North Haven) ran full-court games with his alma mater’s varsity team to keep in good cardiovascular shape.

It certainly paid dividends this season, as Binkoski garnered Northeast Conference Player of the Year after hitting a team-leading .424, recording 81 hits, 15 doubles, 39 RBI, and three round-trippers.

Binkoski’s success at the dish also added some extra juice for stat junkies and baseball geeks nationwide, as the senior surpassed a few milestones in the program’s history. Binkoski shattered the single-season and career hits record. He also broke the career doubles record while sporting the nation’s eighth-best batting average.

Binkoski’s baseball career officially hit its pinnacle this week, as he was signed to a minor league contract by the Philadelphia Phillies.

“I’m absolutely ecstatic right now,” said Binkoski. “It was a childhood dream to play professionally and now it’s a dream come true. Quinnipiac was such an important step in this whole process. “I have to thank Skip (Head coach Dan Gooley) for giving me the opportunity to play for four years.”

Binkoski is expected to report to the Phillies’ minor league affiliate the GCL Phillies of the Gulf Coast League in Clearwater, Fla.

Quinnipiac’s Gress Headed To Braves

Quinnipiac’s Gress Headed To Braves
By Zach Smart

Randy Gress needed to get away from it all. He needed to fend off the inevitable waves of anxiety that swarmed his stomach like wild mosquitoes. After watching the Tampa Bay Devil Rays select Vanderbilt’s David Price with the first pick, along with the laundry-list of other first, second, and third round selections in the 2007 MLB draft, the Quinnipiac University infielder decided that he had had enough.

Gress got the keys to his jeep and cruised up to his grandparents’ beach house in Westbrook, Conn., where he relaxed and did his best to avoid the tension of finding out when and if he would be drafted.

Suddenly, however, Gress received a phone call from teammate and now-Baltimore Oriole Pat Egan. At first, Gress thought he was in the midst of a practical joke. After asking Egan all the exact details, however, he soon realized he wasn’t. His childhood dream had just come to reality. He had been selected by the Atlanta Braves in the 18^th round.

“I was about to pick up the phone and call home to see what round the draft was in and Pat called me,” said Gress.

“I can’t even explain how I feel right now. It’s a dream come true. It’s something I’ve worked hard for, and it really is a great feeling. I really can’t wait to get started.”

Gress, a power hitter who helped steer the Bobcats to the Northeast Conference regular season crown and the highest single-season win total (29 victories) in the program’s rich history, had being weighing his pro stock before the 2007 season kicked off. Following the season, Gress said he received positive feedback from a bevy of teams. Bobcats coach Dan Gooley had said since the end of Gress’ junior season (when he hit .292 with a team-high 11 home runs), that he felt Gress had some pro potential.

The Shelton product proved Gooley right his senior year. Gress batted a robust .297, clubbing 12 homers while registering 45 RBI. Gress also sported a slugging percentage of .586 and scored a team-high 47 runs, en route to being named Akadema/NEC Player of the Week on the final day of the regular season.

Gress was chosen with the 558^th pick of the MLB draft. He’s slated to report to Atlanta’s rookie camp this week, which will take place at the Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.

As Gress vaulted into the upper-tier of the nation’s scholastic baseball players, he rounded out a quartet of Quinnipiac seniors that have taken their athletic careers to the next level this season.

Reid Cashman of the men’s hockey team signed a one-year deal with the Toronto Maple Leafs in May. Following this, Adam Gonzalez of the basketball team inked a professional contract with Carolina of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN), Puerto Rico’s professional league. The aforementioned Egan, who the Baltimore Orioles owned the rights of after drafting him twice in the past, signed a minor league deal with the club in late May.

Now it’s Gress’ turn.

“I didn’t think it would be this early,” admitted Gress. “Everything is so up in the air (with the draft), there’s always a chance it might not happen at all.”

A Letter from the Editors

The WQAQ Sports Blog was an idea generated by the WQAQ Sports Department over the winter break between the fall and spring semesters this year.

We never thought it would get this big.

Since January 23, 2007, the day we started the blog, it has recieved just over 2,900 views from you, our loyal readers.

So for that, we say thank you.

Whether you are a parent of our fine Quinnipiac athletes, a parent of our fantastic WQAQ Sports Department staff that make up our writers, or a fan of Quinnipiac Athletics, thank you for reading all semester.

From the opening of the TD Banknorth Sports Center, to the firing of Joe DeSantis, to the hockey team’s run to the ECAC Hockey Championship Game, to the hiring of Tom Moore, and even through the baseball team’s trip to the NEC Tournament, this has been a truly historic semester for Quinnipiac Athletics, and we are truly glad we could bring it to you on this page.

So for the summer, we say adieu. But please know that we will be back in the fall. We hope to have have periodic articles over the summer, but WQAQ Sports will continue to endeavor to bring you the best Quinnipiac Sports coverage on the net when we return in the fall semester.

So until then, have a fantastic summer!

Sincerely,

Seth Rothman and Steve Tisi
WQAQ Sports Directors

Bobcats eliminated from NEC Tournament

Bobcats eliminated from NEC Tournament
by Seth Rothman
May 25, 2007

Pat Egan pitched the Bobcats into the nightcap on Friday in New Britain, Connecticut at the 2007 Northeast Conference Baseball Championships.

Chris Gloor couldn’t pitch them into the championship game.

Quinnipiac won game 4 of the tournament Friday afternoon by defeating Mount St. Mary’s 4-1 behind a fantastic pitching performance by senior Pat Egan. He threw a complete game 3 hitter, giving up the lone run, a walk and 5 strikeouts while throwing 116 pitches in what became his final appearance as a Bobcat.

Quinnipiac got off to a fast start, scoring in the bottom of the first inning thanks to a Ryan Rizzo double and a Tim Binkoski single. But The Mount fought back in the top of the third when Mike Gioioso was hit by a pitch, took second on a wild pitch, and scored on a sacrifice bunt that was mishandled by Quinnipiac second baseman Randy Gress.

In the 4th inning, Quinnipiac showed signs of breaking out of the offensive slumber that had seen them score only 3 runs in the first 13 innings of play in this NEC Tournament.

Both Jeff Mainetti and Pete Kummerfeldt clubbed home runs off Mount starter Andy Germuth, giving Quinnipiac a lead they, and Egan, would not relinquish.

Thirty minutes after Quinnipiac wrapped up the 4-1 win over Mount St. Mary’s, they were back in action, facing off against Central Connecticut State for the second consecutive day. The winner would advance to the NEC Championship Game on Saturday while the loser would see its season come to an abrupt end.

Chris Gloor toed the rubber for the Bobcats in this pivotal game, and he was fantastic through 5 innings, holding Central scoreless.

The problem for the Bobcats, Evan Scribner was just as good for the Blue Devils.

In this elimination game, it was was scoreless through five and a half innings. But in the 6th, Gloor ran out of gas. Gloor gave up 5 runs in the inning, with the big blow coming off the bat of Garrett Walker, who doubled off the southpaw to drive in 2, and send the game out of reach at 4-0.

Meanwhile, Scribner was cruising, and the run support didn’t change matters. He finished the game with a complete game 6 hit shutout while striking out 12 Bobcat hitters as Central cruised into the Championship Game against Monmouth with a 5-0 win.

Quinnipiac ends its season 29-18-1, setting a new record for wins by a Bobcat team in a season, but falling short of their lofty expectations; a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Quinnipiac loses much of its offense, but their triplet of starters Chris Gloor, Joe Duffy, and Andy Mayer will return, as will oft injured Ryan Walfield, who saw action in only four games all season. Tyler Brett and Eric Bretscher will also return next year; two relievers who started to pitch very well late in the season.

The loss ends the athletic year for the Quinnipiac Bobcats. It was a banner year for the Division I school, which opened the $52 million TD Banknorth Sports Center, saw the hockey team come within 18 minutes of a ECAC Hockey crown, and saw a multitude of teams reach the NEC Tournament. 

Bobcats leave game 1 on basepaths

Bobcats leave game 1 on basepaths
by Seth Rothman
May 24, 2007

The Quinnipiac Bobcats left 14 runners on base, 12 of them in scoring position as Central Connecticut State defeated the Bobcats 3-2 in 10 innings today in game 1 of the NEC Tournament.

Andy Mayer pitched admirably in the loss, taking a shutout through the 8th inning. In the top of the 9th, however, he ran into trouble. After inducing left fielder Jay Schillaci to ground out to John Delaney at third, Mayer gave up back to back singles inducing Bobcats manager Dan Gooley to replace the righty with closer Tyler Brett.

After inducing a ground out by B.K. McLaughlin allowing both runners to move up a base, 9th place hitter Richie Tri drove the first pitch from Brett into center field, scoring both Casey Walko and Sean Allaire.

The Bobcats, top ranked in this NEC Tournament, would not go down quietly. Central pitcher Matt Gianini had allowed only 1 unearned run in the third inning, but he got touched up for the game tying run in the 9th.

John Delaney led off with a screaming double into the left center field gap, and after a Ryan Rizzo groundout sent Delaney to third, NEC Player of the Year Tim Binkoski singled to left field off CCSU closer Evan Scribner, scoring Delaney and tying the game at 2.

In the top of the 10th, however, Central took advantage of a spell of wildness by Tyler Brett. After singling between first and second, Adam Taha took both second and third on 2 wild pitches by the Bobcats closer. Jak Kidd’s fly ball deep to right field was the difference as Taha came home on the sacrafice fly.

The Bobcats fought in the bottom of the frame, but with Pete Kummerfeldt on second base, John Delaney was unable to deliver, sending the Bobcats to the loser’s bracket.

Tyler Brett takes the loss for the Bobcats, he falls to 4-3 on the season, while Scribner takes the win, he improves to 5-6. Mayer gets a no decision for Quinnipiac after throwing 8.1 innings and giving up only 2 runs on 7 hits.

Quinnipiac will now have to fight back from a deep hole. They will have to run the table in this double elimination tournament by winning four straight games if they want to reach the NCAA Tournament for the second time in three years.

They will start that fight Friday at 3:30 when they face Mount St. Mary’s, who was defeated 9-0 by Monmouth in the second game of the day on Thursday.

Pat Egan will be the starter Friday for the Bobcats. Egan, the 5th year senior from Rocky Hill, CT is coming back from Tommy John surgery that he had last December, and is starting to regain the form that led the Baltimore Orioles to draft him in last year’s MLB Draft. Over his last two starts, Egan has been nearly unhittable,  sporting a 2-0 record and an ERA of 0.64.

You will be able to listen to the broadcast of that game on the WQAQ Bobcats Sports Network by following the link on our “Game Broadcast Page.” Matt Janik and Kevin Sokolski will have the call, with the pregame show starting roughly 15 minutes before first pitch at 3:15.

If the Bobcats win the game at 3:30 tomorrow, they will go right back on the field for the final game of the loser’s bracket in a game scheduled for 7:00. They will face the loser of game 3 of the tournament between today’s winners. If it goes that far, lefthander Chris Gloor is scheduled to be the starter that will try and send the Bobcats to Saturday’s championship series.

One thing is for certain. If the Bobcats leave 12 runners in scoring position tomorrow afternoon, Gloor may not get that chance.