QU Baseball Sweeps MAAC Doubleheader From Defending Conference Champs Siena With a Pair of 3-2 Victories

Monday, March 30

Fiondella Field - West Hartford, Conn.

12 pm

Quinnipiac University

6-15, 3-2MAAC

Siena

4-12, 1-1MAAC

Siena

Quinnipiac

QU Baseball Sweeps MAAC Doubleheader From Defending Conference Champs Siena With a Pair of 3-2 Victories

3/30/2015 12:00:00 AM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

Game 1 Box Score (QU 3, Siena 2)
Game 2 Box Score (QU 3, Siena 2)
Season Stats
Quinnipiac Baseball Homepage
MAAC Baseball Standings

WEST HARTFORD, Connecticut – The Quinnipiac University baseball team executed the game plan perfectly as the Bobcats swept a doubleheader against the reigning MAAC Champions Siena, 3-2 and 3-2, at Fiondella Field on the campus of the University of Hartford. With the sweep, Quinnipiac improves to 7-15 overall and 4-2 in MAAC play while Siena drops to 4-13 overall while opening conference action at 1-2.

In the first game, Matthew Oestreicher (North Haven, Connecticut) provided a flair for the dramatic as he ripped a line drive to right field that scored the game-winning run from second base to give Quinnipiac the 3-2 walk-off victory. The dramatic game one win for the Bobcats was the first walk-off victory for Quinnipiac since they defeated Manhattan, 5-4, on March 22, 2014.

In the second game, Justin Thomas (Enfield, Connecticut) twirled the best game of his career as he went seven innings allowing just three hits and two runs (both unearned) while striking out a career-high 11. The 11 punch outs for Thomas are the most for any Bobcat pitcher in seven innings of work since Kyle Birdsall tossed 12 back on April 6, 2010 against Monmouth and also represented the most in a single-game since Derek Lamacchia finished with 13 on March 2, 2012 against Fordham.

Since the 2005 season, Thomas becomes just the fifth QU pitcher to throw at least 11 strikeouts in a single game - Derek Lamacchia (13 - vs. Fordham on March 2, 2012), Kyle Birdsall (12 - vs. Monmouth on April 6, 2010), Chris Gloor (13 - vs. Holy Cross on March 21, 2009) and Chris Wakefield (11 - vs. LIU Brooklyn on March 26, 2005).

Quinnipiac's impressive series victory over the 2014 MAAC Champs Siena gives the Bobcats a 4-2 record through the first two conference weekends of the 2015 season. The 4-2 mark in league play through six games signals the best start to conference play since QU opened the 2011 season with a 5-1 record in the Northeast Conference. Quinnipiac took two out of three from Saint Peter's from March 22-23 to open MAAC competition and have now won three of their last four games overall.

The opening game of Monday's doubleheader was all about manufacturing runs for the Bobcats as all seven hits for Quinnipiac in the first game were singles but head coach John Delaney pushed the right buttons on offense while also gifted a great all-around pitching performance from a group of three Bobcats.

Excellent baserunning and timely hitting led to the first run as Anthony Cruz (Burlington, Massachusetts) walked and then advanced to second on a throwing error from the Siena catcher in his attempt to gun down Cruz at first base. After Mike Palladino (Rockville Centre, New York) was hit by a pitch, Coach Delaney put the pressure on as he gave the bunt sign to Scott Donaghue (Marlboro, New Jersey). Donaghue turned to bunt twice before Cruz and Palladino took advantage of Siena's defense falling asleep by stealing third and second base. From there, a sacrifice fly to center was all it took for the lead run to come across and give QU the 1-0 lead.

The Bobcats tacked on another in the fourth inning as the bases were loaded for Brian Ruditys (Boothwyn, Pennsylvania) who came through with a high and slow grounder to short that the senior left fielder legged out for an RBI single.

In the meantime, freshman Taylor Luciani (Berlin, Connecticut) was cruising right along with four shutout innings before the Saints pushed two across in the top of the fifth. Luciani exited for Matthew Lorenzetti (Marlboro, New Jersey) in the fifth after going 4.2 innings allowing just two hits, two runs (one earned), three walks and one strikeout. Lorenzetti came on and induced a fly out to leave on Saint still on-base and keep the score at 2-2.

A pitching duel ensued for the next three-plus innings as Lorenzetti (2.1 IN, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 SO) and freshman Robert Hitt (2 IN, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 SO) combined to allow just one baserunner through 4.1 innings of work down the stretch.

The gritty work from the Bobcat bullpen paid off in the waning stages as John Bodenhamer (Maple Valley, Washington) started the game-deciding inning with a single. Dale Long (Saratoga Springs, New York) followed with a walk to put two runners on before the pinch hitter Oestreicher stepped up with a clutch two-out single to right field. Siena's Fred Smart played the ball well and gunned a strike to home plate but the head-first dive from pinch runner Matthew Payero (Corona, New York) beat the throw by a hair and gave QU the 3-2 walk-off win.

Hitt (Suffield, Connecticut) picked up his first collegiate victory as he spun two innings of no-hit ball to go along with two strikeouts. In three appearances against MAAC competition, Hitt has worked 3.1 innings of perfect ball as he still hasn't allowed a hit or run in conference play.

The second game of the doubleheader was all about the QU tandem of Thomas and Vincent Guglietti (East Haven, Connecticut) as both factored heavily in the 3-2 nightcap victory from Fiondella Field.

Thomas set the tone early and often as he pounded the strike zone and had the Saint guessing on every pitch. He started the game by striking out eight of the first 12 batters he faced on the way to a new career-high 11 strikeouts. The junior lefthander's no-hit bid ended in the seventh inning as he went 6.1 innings without allowing a hit.

The back-and-forth pitcher's duel ended in the fourth inning as Quinnipiac tacked two runs on in the bottom half. Palladino got things started with an infield single to second base and after Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut) singled to the shortstop to put two runners on, Guglietti cashed in with a mammoth drive to center field that bounced once at the warning track before hitting the fence. Guglietti's fifth double of the season scored both runs and gave QU the 2-0 lead after four innings.

Siena pushed one run across on a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning but Guglietti wasn't finished as he took a first pitch fastball and crushed the offering deep over the right field fence for his second home run of the season and 10^th of his career.

The insurance run from Guglietti turned out to be a crucial one as the Saints threatened in the top of the eighth. A double, followed by a single to start the inning chased Thomas after seven innings of work. Gary Binkiewicz (Scotch Plains, New Jersey) entered for Thomas and had some trouble early as a throwing error to first base allowed one run to score. But that was the only damage done as Binkiewicz induced two groundouts and a line out to keep two runners stranded including one in scoring position.

Freshman Gregory Egan (Seldon, New York) was handed the ball to close out the game in the ninth and the rookie came through as he retired the side in-order on the way to capturing his first career save in the 3-2 QU victory.

Guglietti drove in all three runs in the Quinnipiac victory while Batten and Palladino each notched two hits in the nightcap. Guglietti also upped his hitting streak to 11 straight games.

In an incredible pitching performance, Quinnipiac limited the top four Siena hitters to a 0-for-27 day at the plate including nine strikeouts. In all, Siena finished just 6-for-61 (.098) at the plate throughout the doubleheader.

Quinnipiac is scheduled to play Dartmouth at home on Wednesday at 3:00 PM before traveling to Monmouth for a three-game set over the weekend on April 3-4. Stay tuned to www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com for all the latest schedule changes and information relating to Quinnipiac Baseball.