Oestreicher and Gibson Hit Home Runs as QU Baseball Falls to Yale, 8-6

Wednesday, March 23

Hamden, CT

3 PM

Quinnipiac University

6-11

Yale

2-11-1

YALE

Quinnipiac

Oestreicher and Gibson Hit Home Runs as QU Baseball Falls to Yale, 8-6

3/23/2016 7:34:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

By: QU Sports Information

Box Score

HAMDEN, Connecticut – Matthew Oestreicher (North Haven, Connecticut) led the charge offensively going 2 for 4 at the plate with a three-run home run but the Quinnipiac baseball team's rally came up short, falling 8-6 to Yale in the home opener on Wednesday afternoon.

Quinnipiac fell to 6-11 on the season with its third straight loss while Yale improved to 2-11-1 with its second win in the last four games.

Oestreicher's home run was his first of the season as the Bobcats catcher has now hit three home runs in his last two games against the Yale Bulldogs with eight RBI dating back to last season's matchup. Ben Gibson (Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts) hit his third home run of the season for the Bobcats as he went 1 for 2 with that home run, two walks and two runs scored.

Rob Pescitelli (West Islip, New York) got on base for the Bobcats four times as he went 1 for 2 with a double and three walks in the game.

Brandon Shileikis (North Dighton, Massachusetts) and Christian Nicolosi (Stony Point, New York) combined for 4 2/3 scoreless innings to end the game and allow the Bobcats to get within two runs late.

Yale took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning and never trailed in the game. Brent Lawson led off the inning with a walk and advanced to second on a ground out before moving up to third base on a wild pitch. Tim DeGraw walk to put runners on the corners for Simon Whiteman. Yale attempted the double steal but Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut) cut off the throw to second base to peg Lawson at home. Whiteman singled later in the at bat to score DeGraw from second base.

The Bulldogs added two more runs in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead. Harrison White led off with a single and advanced to second on Oestreicher's throwing error. Benny Wanger walked before Alec Hoeschel singled home White. Yale then put on the double steal with Lawson flashing the bunt, but the ball popped off Oestreicher's mitt allowing Wanger to steal home successfully.

Two sacrifice flies in the top of the fourth inning led to two more Bulldog runs as Tom O'Neill and Richard Slenker each picked up RBIs for the Bulldogs.

Gibson stepped up to bat with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and cracked his third home run of the season to break the scoreless tie at 5-1.

Yale added three more runs in the top of the fifth inning as Lawson walked, stole second base and advanced to third base on a wild pitch to put a runner in scoring position. Alex Boos and DeGrew drew back-to-back walks to load the bases before Lawson scored on a wild pitch and keep two runners in scoring position. DeGraw and Boos came home to score when Whiteman picked up the two RBI single. Whiteman nearly came home to score later in the inning but freshman Brian Moskey (Higganum, Connecticut) threw him out at the plate after White's single to left field.

Quinnipiac got a run back in the bottom of the fifth inning to start chipping away at Yale's seven run lead. Batten singled with one out in the inning and reached third on Pescitelli's double to right centerfield. Batten came home to score on a passed ball but the Bobcats stranded runners on the corners to end the inning.

Oestreicher put a dent in the Bulldogs lead in the bottom of the sixth inning. Ryan Nelson (Knoxville, Tennessee) reached on an infield single before Gibson drew a four-pitch walk. Oestreicher cracked a three-run home run deep over the left field fence to cut Yale's lead to 8-5.

The Bobcats got another run in the bottom of the seventh inning, their fourth straight inning with a run but could not muster any more after the inning. Pescitelli led off with a walk, and after a deep fly out to right centerfield by Lou Iannotti (North Haven, Connecticut), Pescitelli stole single base. Burns hit a perfectly placed single through the right side of the infield to score Pescitelli easily.

The Quinnipiac baseball team returns to action Thursday afternoon when they open up a three-game series with the Marist Red Foxes in Poughkeepsie, New York with first pitch set for 3 PM. The Bobcats and Red Foxes will wrap up the series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 12 PM.