Women’s Lax Ends Skid with a Couple of Wins

Women’s Lax Ends Skid with a Couple of Wins
By TJ Buzzeo
March 30, 2008

HAMDEN - The Quinnipiac Women’s Lacrosse team opened up NEC play on Saturday March 22 with their fourth consecutive loss.

Monmouth University came to Hamden on the 22nd and left with a nail-biting victory. The Bobcats started off strong opening with a 3-0 lead over the Hawks. With 13:24 left in the half Monmouth went on a run, and eventually took the lead 4-3. Sophomore midfielder Lyndsey Banach tied the game at four with her first goal of the season with 5:52 left in the half.

The Hawks outplayed Quinnipiac in the first portion of the second half taking a 9-6 lead after a 3-0 Monmouth run. Quinnipiac scored two quick goals to cut the lead, but the Hawks extended it back to three. The Bobcats would not go down quietly as junior midfielder Ashley Valentine and junior midfielder Tiffany Manzi each scored goals to bring the score to 11-10 in favor of the Hawks. The Bobcats could not push another goal in over the final 4:28 of the game as 11-10 would be the final score in favor of the visitors from New Jersey.

Valentine and junior attack Nicole Fiore each had hat-tricks to lead the Bobcat offense.

Sophomore goalkeeper Hannah Nelson played well for Quinnipiac, stopping 10 shots and putting up a season-high seven groundballs.

The Bobcats got back to their winning ways on Friday March 28, with a victory over NEC rival Long Island.

Quinnipiac came out strong, dominating the first half and taking a 7-1 lead into the break. The second half was more evenly played as the Bobcats again outscored the Blackbirds 7-5, and won the game 14-6.

Three Bobcats put up four points each for the first time this year. Valentine scored four goals in the game, including three in the first half. Senior attack Katy Delagi put up two goals and two assists. Her two goals were the opening and closing goals for the Quinnipiac scoring. Sophomore attack Kelly Bruneau posted one goal and three assists.

Nelson made 10 saves while only giving up five goals before being pulled from the game with 6:50 remaining.

The Bobcats picked up their first NEC win of the season, and snapped a four game losing streak with the win.

On Sunday March 30, the Bobcats continued their winning ways by blowing out the Wagner College Seahawks 23-12 on Long Island.

Wagner took an early 2-1 lead, and then Quinnipiac woke up and scored 11 of the next 14 goals taking a commanding 12-5 lead into halftime. The Seahawks and Bobcats traded four goals apiece to start the second half. Then the Seahawks went on a 3-1 lead making the score 17-12 in favor of Quinnipiac, who washed away any comeback thoughts by scoring the last six goals of the game.

After Manzi did not get any points for the first time all season in the victory over Long Island, she picked up seven in the Wagner game, with four goals and three assists. Valentine put up a six point game with five goals and an assist. Delagi also added six points with a hat-trick and three assists. Fiore also put up a great game with four points — all of them goals.

Nelson had another solid game for the Bobcats posting her fifth consecutive 10 save game and her seventh in eight games.

Valentine and Manzi have been the leaders all season for the Bobcats and their efforts have shown in the NEC rankings. Valentine is third in goals per game (2.88), fourth in points per game (3.50), and sixth in shots per game (5.25). Manzi’s 2.12 goals per game ranks her sixth in the NEC, she is also third in draw controls per game (2.62) and is first in caused turnovers per game (2.00).

Nelson has been very effective in net for Quinnipiac. She ranks third in goals against average (10.71), second in save percentage (.509), fourth in saves per game (10.75), and second in ground balls per game (3.12). She has started all eight games for the Bobcats this season.

The Bobcats are currently 4-4 overall, 2-1 in NEC play, and currently are tied in third with Monmouth in the conference standings. The Bobcats look to improve on those numbers with three straight home games against three NEC rivals. Robert Morris comes to Hamden on April 4, St. Francis (PA) follows on April 6, and Central Connecticut wraps up the homestand on April 9. All three games can be heard on the Bobcats Sports Network presented by WQAQ.

Softball splits NEC double dip against Wagner

Softball splits NEC double dip against Wagner
by Tom Butto
March 30, 2008

HAMDEN – After a rough double header on Saturday that resulted in 8-0 and 7-0 losses to conference foe Long Island University, the Bobcats looked to put up their first conference win of the season, this time against Wagner. They were also looking to break a three-game losing streak.

Quinnipiac (11-20, 1-3 NEC) did get that win in the second game of the double header by beating the Wagner Seahawks (10-11, 0-2 NEC) 5-2.

“We got a lot of veterans on this team,” said Germaine Fairchild, the head coach of the softball team. “Everyone on the team knows that they need to conserve energy and give it their all when conference play comes around.”

The first game started well for the Bobcats, when they took the lead in the bottom of the first inning. Quinnipiac took a 1-0 lead when Christine Bourdeau lined a one out RBI double to left center field, which drove home senior Jill Viglione.

That ended Quinnipiac’s nineteen inning scoreless streak at home, but that was nearly the only good news in game one for the Bobcats. They scored one run in the fourth, one in the fifth and that was it.

The Seahawks touched up Kristin Sheriff for two runs in the next inning. Sheriff walked two batters before Ami Iwicki drove a two out double that plated the two batters that Sheriff walked.

Sheriff was pitching for the second day in a row, after she threw 5 2/3 innings against Long Island University in the last game of yesterday’s double header.

The Bobcats took a 3-2 lead going into the sixth inning. But that is when the wheels came off of the train when Coach Fairchild replaced Sheriff with Emily Bellush, after Sheriff put the first two batters of the inning on base.

Bellush had no control of her pitches, allowing the runners Sheriff put on to score. She also gave up four additional runs and threw four wild pitches.

The Bobcats wound up losing the first game 10-3.

The second game of the double header produced better results as Jaimie Iaquinto took the mound looking to stop the bleeding from the previous three games.

Iaquinto, the right handed sophomore, dazzled the Wagner batters. She struck out ten batters while giving up only two runs on four hits.

In a two inning stretch during the second and third inning, Iaquinto struck out four batters in a row. She struck out Christina Pinkus, Ami Iwicki, and Jamie El-Aazami all looking.

“Jaimie pitched great today in an effort that we really needed,” said Fairchild. “But let’s not forget Brianne Sloane. Behind every pitcher there is a great catcher, and she caught a great game.”

The Bobcats next game is on the road when they take on Rhode Island University. Their next home games are on April 5th and April 6th when Quinnipiac plays conference opponents Sacred Heart and Fairleigh Dickinson. The game on the 5th will be broadcasted by WQAQ.

Men’s tennis swept in NEC opener

Men’s tennis swept in NEC opener
By Andrew Fletcher
March 29, 2008

HAMDEN – Quinnipiac’s men’s tennis team was swept at home by Fairleigh Dickinson in both of the teams’ conference openers Saturday afternoon, dropping all nine matches in the 7-0 defeat. The Bobcats fall to 3-5 (0-1 NEC) and the Knights improve to 6-5 (1-0 NEC).

Only Brian Mikkelson (No. 2) and Tom Curran (No. 5) were able to force third sets in their singles matches, before dropping both. Mikkelson lost to Fairleigh Dickinson’s Matt Gordon, while Curran was handled by Kyle Eddins.

Joe Nuara (No. 6) almost forced a third set in his match, but lost 7-6 in the second set. All of the other singles matches were decided in straight sets.

Mikkelson and Sean Pease played a competitive No. 1 doubles match, but fell 8-6 to Fairleigh Dickinson’s Esteban Blanco and Philip Stephens. John Hughes and Curran were easily defeated by Gordon and Josh Girling 8-1 in No. 2 doubles. Scott Salway and Nuara played their No. 3 doubles match close, as they lost 9-8 to Priit Gross and Eddins.

“I think we played well at times and we need to continue to work on learning to finish the job,” Quinnipiac head coach Mike Quitko told QuinnipiacBobcats.com.

The Bobcats, who have now lost two in a row, won’t have much time to think about this loss. They will face visiting Hofstra tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. The Pride come into the match with a record of 3-5-1 after losing to Villanova Saturday afternoon.

Bobcats Open Up Conference, Lose To LIU Twice

Bobcats Open Up Conference, Lose To LIU Twice
by Tom Butto
March 29, 2008

HAMDEN — The Quinnipiac University softball team came into Northeast Conference play losers of two games in a row, and looked to stop the losing streak by taking the Long Island University Blackbirds at home.

However, the day of action on the field did not turn out as planned, as the Bobcats ran into two dominating pitching performances, losing 8-0 in the first game and 7-0 in the second game. The Bobcats fell to 10-19 on the season, and 0-2 in conference play, while the Blackbirds improved to 12-13 overall and 2-0 in the NEC.

In the first game of the double header at Bobcat Field, Blaire Porter dazzled the Bobcats with excellent command of her fastball. Porter threw a complete game ten strikeout gem, while walking one batter and only giving up two infield singles in the shutout.

Jaime Iaquinto, the right handed pitcher from the Bobcats, had the opposite type of day on the mound. Iaquinto had a rocky outing, giving up eight runs and walking five batters in her complete game effort. Iaquinto’s troubles started in the second inning when Brynn Lewis, the sophomore second baseman for the Blackbirds, drove in two runs with the bases loaded.

Lewis had just as big of a game as her teammate Porter did. She drove in four runs in the game.

The second game did not go any better for Quinnipiac, as Jenny Giles of the Blackbirds struck out three and walked four in her complete game shutout effort, matching the complete game shutout that Porter threw.

The pitching performance in the second game of the double header was also mirrored by Quinnipiac’s starter, Kristin Sherriff. She also gave up three runs in the second inning of her outing.

Like Iaquinto, Sheriff also settled down, not giving up a run until the sixth inning, when she gave up two runs. She was replaced by the southpaw Emily Bellush. Bellush allowed two runs of her own in 1.1 innings on the mound.

The Bobcats only had a total of five hits in the double header, as their seaso-long hitting woes continued. As a team, Quinnipiac only sports a .203 average on the season, and does not have one hitter batting at or above .300. The Bobcats highest average belongs to sophomore Christine Bourdeau, who’s hitting .289.

Men’s tennis downed by Villanova 5-2

Men’s tennis downed by Villanova 5-2
By Andrew Fletcher
March 28, 2008

HAMDEN — Despite the successes of freshmen Brian Mikkelson (Mequon, Wis.) and Sean Pease (Falmouth, Mass.), Quinnipiac’s men’s tennis team was unable to beat the Villanova Wildcats, losing 5-2 Wednesday afternoon.

Mikkelson defeated Villanova’s Brian Maher in straight sets in No. 2 singles. Pease was victorious in No. 3 singles, as he took care of Trenton Alenik in straight sets as well. These were the only singles matches the Bobcats were able to win.

John Hughes (Springfield, Mass.) fell in No. 1 singles, Scott Salway (Glastonbury, Conn.) took his No. 4 singles match to a third set before falling short and Tom Curran (Fairfield, Conn.) and Joe Nuara (Little Silver, N.J.) were each taken care of in straight sets in No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively.

The Bobcats were successful in doubles play at first. Mikkelson and Pease defeated Dimitri Chimerakis and Maher in No. 1 doubles. However, they dropped No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, giving the Wildcats the crucial doubles point.

“It was a tough match, well-played by both teams in windy conditions,” Quinnipiac head coach Mike Quitko told QuinnipiacBobcats.com. “They converted more big points than us.”

Quinnipiac hopes to rebound tomorrow afternoon at home when they face Fairleigh Dickinson at 1 p.m. in their Northeast Conference opener. They will also face Hofstra at home on Sunday at 10 a.m.

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.

Pro Scouts On The Prowl For Oxon Hill’s Anderson

Pro Scouts On The Prowl For Oxon Hill’s Anderson
By Zach Smart

HAMDEN, Conn.– True story. DeMario Anderson sauntered into a restaurant on Whitney Ave., sporting a black fitted hat with “D.C.” emblazoned on the front. Suddenly, he was approached by two model-slender and strikingly pretty young women. Both were resident students and apparently supporters of the basketball team at Quinnipiac University, where after two seasons the Oxon Hill, Md. product has left a legacy that few can eclipse.

“Can I just shake your hand?” Asked one of the women, her eyes lit up like mini-fireballs.

Anderson, “D.A.” to the burgeoning basketball culture at Quinnipiac, responded with his hallmark ear-to-ear smile. Taken aback, Anderson let out a few abrupt laughs. When Anderson asked why they sought his permission (he would later explain he’s never had anyone ask to shake his hand before) to do so, one of the women was quick to answer.

“Because you’re like… famous.”

A bundle of talent, a winning personality, and an uncanny ability to thrive in the face of adversity. These are just some aspects that have helped Anderson skyrocket to small-school stardom. Now these facets are helping him mount a promising professional stock.

Anderson is a full package. He’s an intriguing blend of otherwordly, wunderkind-like athleticism, strength, and talent. He’s 6-3 (maybe 6-3 and some change) with a penchant for losing defenders off the dribble and scoring in traffic. Because of this, Anderson–who cooked opponents to the recipe of 21.7 points and 6.5 boards per game this season— is prolonging an unpredictable basketball career that began at Central Connecticut. Despite being utilized as the Bobcats’ clear go-to-guy, a wing whom they featured nearly every game, Anderson handed out a team-high 91 assists on the season. How’d he manage this, you ask? It’s simply what his coach expected of him.

Tom Moore, the former UConn assistant (and associate head coach during his last two years at the Big East NBA factory), said he was sold on Anderson’s potential since he opted to take the Quinnipiac job late last March.

“You become mercenary and see what type of hand you’ll be dealt if you do decide to take a job,” explained Moore in an interview with the New Haven Register last month.

“I knew what I was getting from him. I wanted to give him some ownership of this team, that’s how much I thought of him…He made this year seamless for me, and I’ll always be indebted to him for that.”
Ever humble, Anderson deflects most of the praise that’s been sprinkled on him over the past year. He’s certainly not shy, however, when it comes to the subject of his hoops future.

“Basketball is definitely in my future,” said Anderson, he of the thick Washington, D.C.-drawl. “I’m definitely trying to get to the (NBA) league. I mean it’s really been my goal since the summer. I’d be lying if I told you otherwise.”

He’s D.C. through and through. With a streetball-like savvy and an arsenal moves off the dribble and slashes to the cup, Anderson created matchup problems for nearly every team in the Northeast Conference this season.

“DeMario is a better than a lot of Big East players,” opined Mike Rice, the first-year Robert Morris head coach.

Oddly enough, despite the fact that he led the league in several statistical categories and turned in titanic performances against in-state foes Sacred Heart and Central Connecticut (at Central), Tony Lee of Robert Morris was handed Player of the Year accolades.

A royal snubbing?

More like “politics as usual,” as one may conclude. Robert Morris captured the regular season title and the team’s overall success typically dictates which player will take home the prestigious conference Player of the Year hardware.

Anderson took the world by storm this year, sometimes serving as a one-man wrecking crew as his numbers vaulted him to an elite class of the NCAA’s scorers.

Now a surplus of pro scouts are starting to take notice. Anderson says his cell phone has been flooded with messages lately. Everyone from Lebanon (where former Quinnipiac forward and Cheverly-bred Kevin Jolley dominated a year ago) to Spain, to throughout the European seaboard has been in contact with Anderson. The NBA agents have also jumped into the fray, urging him to attend the upcoming Portsmouth Invitational. The event scouts prospective NBA players

Not bad for a kid who didn’t start playing organized ball until his junior year of high school, when he was employed as an instant sparkplug off the knot. At Oxon Hill High, the alma mater of the Chicago Bulls’ Michael Sweetney, Anderson re-wrote the record books. He immediately surfaced as one of Maryland’s top players his senior season, garnering an All-County selection and an invite to the Capital Classic.

Putting The Bobcats On The Map
Quinnipiac, a perennial power in hockey, had been striving for some national visibility since the University shelled out a king’s ransom on the TD Banknorth Sports Center. The 3,500-seat arena dwarfs those of conference foes and would be fitting for an A-10 or MAAC school.

Moore, widely recognized for grooming a torrent of talent during his stay at UConn (see Butler, Caron or Gordon, Ben for more details) became the first coach in Anderson’s traveled five-year career (Anderson went to Global Institute in Manhattan for a year, but sat out to circumvent an NCAA rule that prevents a player from transferring schools in the same conference) to fully utilize the talent which cracked the surface.

Former coach Joe DeSantis’ system featured a motion offense that emphasized crisp ball movement and perimeter shooting. Playing in the wake of grief (Anderson’s mother, Lisa Duncan, died of cancer in 2006), Anderson struggled to get acclimated to the new system through the first ten games. Then one Saturday in December of 2006, he hung 20 points on Vermont. Following this, D.A. quickly came into his own. Anderson averaged 22.3 points over the final six games of the regular season and his evolution as the Bobcats’ feature player had the slowly growing basketball culture buzzing. He managed to do all this despite popping off the bench as the team’s sixth man. DeSantis, who took ten seasons to reach his 100th win, opted to start three-point assailant Van Crafton instead.

Not this year. Moore swooped in and ripped the straight jacket off Anderson’s back. The Bobcats’ offense allowed Anderson to execute the freelance mano y mano moves that makes the senior such a unique threat. It was under Moore that Anderson’s game truly flourished, as he flee from a cloud of obscurity this season.

The University got what it wanted at the near-conclusion of the season. Anderson avenged a loss at Central by winning an overtime thriller in astonishing fashion. With the score deadlocked at 73, Anderson launched a buzzer-beating, half-court prayer that splashed through the net, sending the gym into a mix of shock and frenzy. He then ran out of the Detrick Gymnasium, his teammates chasing after him, to celebrate the glory.

The game-winner would shoot to No.1 on SportsCenter’s “Top Ten Plays” that Feb. 28 night. It later became a finalist for Pontiac’s Game-Changing performance.

No national visibility? No problem. Give the ball to DA, and let him go to work.

Now basketball junkies around the country are voting amongst game-changing plays made by first-class schools like North Carolina, Memphis, Indiana, Stanford, Pittsburgh, and Wisconsin—and now Quinnipiac. The image may be re-constructed. Maybe DA’s eye-popper allows the school situated in the suburbs of New Haven County to be recognized for more than just its political polls, prestigious Physical Therapy department, and nationally ranked hockey team.

Enhancing The Image?
When a school has grows by leaps and bounds as quickly as Quinnipiac—once the tiny, Division-II liberal arts school—high expectations, hype, and hearsay tend to brew around campus faster than a freshman beer fest on spring weekend. There had been some hearsay about Quinnipiac eventually becoming a “Junior Ivy League.”

Yeah, right. And I’m the next Brad Pitt.

Whatever the University is doing to keep up with these Ivy League foes, Anderson certainly exacerbated Ivy League relations with his scoring prowess this season.

In an 85-63 dumping of Dartmouth back in December, Anderson used a compilation of mid-range jumpers and quick slashes to the hole to help blood-letter the Big Green. He finished with 27 points in 27 minutes. Against Cornell, Anderson turned in a 20-point showing—in the second half.

Against Sacred Heart mid-way through the season, Anderson scored 30 and had a hand in virtually every play. It was a down-to-the-wire clash which concluded in video game fashion. When the Pioneers’ Drew Shubik hit a three, Anderson would answer with a three of his own. When Shubik got free for a lay-in, Da would break through two defenders and complete a reverse layup. In the end, however, the DA transit ran out of gas as the Bobcats suffered a dizzying one-point loss.

“I’m not even going to vote for Player of the Year,” said Moore after that game. “I’m just going to send the (game) tape in. If he doesn’t get (Player of the Year), that would just be criminal.”

Wow.

D.A. backed up his coach’s potent words the following game, when the Bobcats walloped lowly St. Francis (Pa.) at home. DA did his best Chris Paul impression that game–handing out a game-high six dimes. When they tried to trap him, they weren’t there in time. When they keyed on him, his teammates were beneficiaries of his presence.

The D.A. transit was looking to drive deep into the playoffs this season, but the Bobcats lost a tough one to eventual champion Mount St. Mary’s in the opening round.

Dickenman Saga: Squashing The Beef
Anderson emerged into Central’s leading scorer as a sophomore, averaging 14 points and turning in a Godzilla-like, 32-point eruption against, oddly enough, Quinnipiac. His career as a Blue Devil would hit a major pothole however, after a scholarship dispute with head coach Howie Dickenman emerged. At the end of his sophomore year at Central, Anderson asked to be released from his scholarship. Dickenman refused to meet his wish.

“There isn’t really any hard feelings between us (anymore),” said Anderson, who is still close friends with Blue Devil guard Tristan Blackwood. “He just never let me out. That got real personal because it not only changed my basketball future but my academic future as well.”

Dickenman maintains that there’s another side to it. He explained to the New Haven Register that Anderson didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to appeal the decision.

“I don’t think (his decision to transfer) had to do with him bumping heads with coach really,” said Justin Chiera, the former three-point assassin for Central who now works as a basketball instructor in New Jersey.

“He wasn’t happy (at Central), it was a personal decision of his. That’s the real reason why he left. As far as how his career went, I honestly think he would have done his thing either way, had he stayed at Central. Just having him on the court was such a luxury, because with D.A., there’s just so much he can do when the rock is in his hands.”

Handling Adversity
You’ll find that few things in life faze Anderson. The 22-year-old was forced to be extraordinarily self-reliant in the months following his mother’s death. He also tries to be instrumental in the upbringing of his younger sister, Parris. Anderson has her name tattooed on his right arm.

This season, Anderson lost his grandfather and was forced to miss a pair of games against Wagner and Monmouth. After returning to Connecticut from the funeral, Anderson responded in the wake of grief (once again) by pouring in 25 points and hauling down 11 boards in a loss to Sacred Heart.

D.C. Pipeline
Anderson, along with teammates Louis Brookins, Jeremy and Evann Baker, all hail from the D.C.-area. Former Quinnipiac forwards Victor Akinyanju and Kevin Jolley, also from Maryland/D.C. areas, are enjoying prosperous careers overseas. Exactly when D.C. became the Quinnipiac pipeline is open to question. Most people can date it back to Rob Monroe, the 5-foot-10 guard who became one of the NCAA’s scoring and assists leaders during his final season (2004-2005 campaign) with the Bobcats.

Never heard of DeMario Anderson before? Don’t worry, you will soon.

Bobcats Taken Down by UConn, Wind In Home Opener

Bobcats Taken Down by UConn, Wind In Home Opener
by Tom Butto
March 21, 2008

HAMDEN – The Quinnipiac Bobcats softball team lost to UConn 9-0 in five innings of play in their home opener at Bobcat Field on Thursday. The Bobcats who fell to 7-14 on the season were looking to stop an eight game losing streak.

The Bobcats came home after playing in three tournaments in Virginia and Florida where they played tough competition such as Yale and Longwood.

The game started off good for the Bobcats, with Jaimie Iaquinto, a sophomore pitcher, turning in an impressive three inning, four hit performance, while striking out two and giving up one unearned run.

The trouble for the Bobcats came when Carolyn Schmolz replaced Iaquinto and when the wind started whipping around. UConn touched up Schmolz, scoring eight runs in her two innings of work.

Danielle Del Ponte and Micah Truax of UConn both hit two-run homers in the fifth inning which put the game out of reach for the Bobcats for good.

The mercy rule in softball is if a team has an eight run lead after five innings of play.

When Quinnipiac’s pitching started to falter, UConn’s starter, Tricia Sullivan, was dominant the whole game.
Sullivan struck out six batters and only gave up a single to Kristin Sheriff.

The wind played a factor in the fourth and fifth inning when two routine pop ups to Christine Bourdeau, Quinnipiac’s shortstop, turned into adventures. Both pop ups seemed to be going right to Bourdeau’s spot at shortstop, but both times the wind carried the ball all the way to the middle of the infield, leading to base hits.

The Bobcats will head off to Stony Brook, N.Y on Friday to play at the Stony Brook Invitational where they will be looking to end their nine game losing streak.

Hamden made it drizzle, Iona made it rain

Hamden made it drizzle, Iona made it rain
By Kevin Lo
March 19, 2008

HAMDEN, Conn. - The Bobcats fell to Iona 71-59 in their first ever postseason appearance for the Quinnipiac women’s basketball program at the Division I level in tonight’s first round NIT game.

The Bobcats struggled to find their rhythm early and trailed at the half 43-30. They never had the opportunity to get close as Iona’s superior post play was able to stretch the lead.

Iona outscored the Bobcats 36-26 in the paint and out rebounded the Bobcats 46-31. Anna McLean led Iona in both scoring and in rebounds with 24 points and 18 boards.

Iona also shot well from the perimeter as they hit 9-19 of their 3 point attempts.

The Bobcats caught a tough break with 12 minutes to go in the second half when Erin Kerner went down with an injury to her left leg. She returned to the game minutes later but this time injured her right leg and was forced to sit out for good.

During this span Quinnipiac was able to cut it to 10 but it would not be enough. The Bobcats actually outscored Iona in the second 29-28 but the huge deficit they faced from the first half would make a comeback improbable.

The Bobcats struggled to keep it close throughout the first half. Both teams came out in a full court press and kept the defensive pressure high for the first few minutes of the game.

QU had a tough time finding a rhythm offensively early on. They seemed to do their best work on the break and at the line. Catherine Lutz went on a tear late in the first half and stopped a potentially huge Quinnipiac run. She poured in 4 straight threes from the 3 point line and helped stretch the Iona lead to 12.

Mandy Pennewell led the team with 15 points and Brianna Rooney chipped in 13 points and 3 steals.

Tennis’ Mikkelson named NEC Player of the Week

Tennis’ Mikkelson named NEC Player of the Week
By Andrew Fletcher
March 19, 2008

Freshman Brian Mikkelson earned Northeast Conference Player of the Week honors last week, the league office announced. He won three of four matches he played this week, including sweeping his Hartford opponents.

Against Hartford, Mikkelson defeated Emmett Drake at No. 2 singles and defeated Drake and Tim Glickman at No. 2 doubles, paired with Joe Nuara (Little Silver, N.J.).

Mikkelson came back to defeat Rhode Island’s Jeff Cote in No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set, he won the second set 7-6 in a tie-break and took the third set easily. While playing alongside Sean Pease (Falmouth, Mass.), he was beaten 9-8 in No. 1 doubles by Cote and Jared Dorfman.

The Mequon, Wisc. native, is now 28-7 in his freshman season for the Bobcats, including a 15-2 record in doubles play when paired with Pease.

The 3-3 Bobcats, who have been off for 10 days, return to action tomorrow. They will travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on the Connecticut Huskies at 2 p.m. The Huskies have a record of 3-5 and are coming off of a 4-3 victory against Monmouth.