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.
