QU Baseball Travels to Albany Tuesday and Rhode Island Thursday in Mid-Week Clashes

Tuesday, April 19

Albany, NY

3 PM

Quinnipiac University

Albany

QU Baseball Travels to Albany Tuesday and Rhode Island Thursday in Mid-Week Clashes

4/18/2016 9:00:00 PM | Baseball

By: QU Sports Information

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (13-20, 4-5 MAAC) at
University of Albany Great Danes (13-19, 3-6 America East)
Date: Tuesday, Apr. 19, 2016
Time: 3 PM
Location: Alumni Field - Albany, N.Y.
All-Time Series vs. Albany: 2-1
Last Meeting: W, 8-3 (7 Innings) (Apr. 21, 2015 - Hamden, Conn.)
Probable Starters: Charlie Murray (0-0, 27.00 ERA) vs. Angelo Spedafino (0-1, 7.27 ERA)

Quinnipiac University Bobcats (13-20, 4-5 MAAC) at
University of Rhode Island Rams (13-17, 5-4 A-10)
Date: Thursday, Apr. 21, 2016
Time: 3 PM
Location: Bill Beck Field - Kingston, R.I.
All-Time Series vs. Rhode Island: 2-13
Last Meeting: W, 7-5 (5 Innings) (Apr. 7, 2015 - Hamden, Conn.)
Probable Starters: Brandon Shileikis (1-0, 3.07 ERA) vs. TBD

Follow the Bobcats:
Live Stats (Apr. 19): UAlbanySports.com
Live Video (Apr. 19): AmericaEast.TV
Live Stats (Apr. 21): GoRhody.com
Live Audio (Apr. 5): WRIU - RIU2 Stream
Twitter - @TheQBaseball

Hit the Road Jack
The Quinnipiac baseball team hits the road for two more road games before playing 12 of their next 13 games at the QU Baseball Field. The Bobcats will travel to Albany, New York where they will face the Albany Great Danes on Tuesday, Apr. 19 at 3 PM before making up their postponed game with the Rhode Island Rams on Thursday, Apr. 21 at 3 PM.

All-Time Against Albany
The Bobcats are 2-1 all-time against the Albany Great Danes with both wins coming last season as part of a mid-week doubleheader. Quinnipiac won 2-1 in the first game and 8-3 in the second game. Matthew Batten had two runs and two RBI in the doubleheader sweep. That meeting was their first with Albany since the 2002 season where Quinnipiac fell, 15-0.

Scouting the Great Danes
Albany comes into Tuesday's doubleheader with a similar record to the Bobcats at 13-19 with a 3-6 record in America East play. The Great Danes are coming off a three-game sweep of Saint Peter's, outscoring the Peacocks 27-7 in the series. The Great Danes have won five of their last seven games after a six-game losing streak. Matt Hinchy leads the Great Danes with a .359 batting average on 39 hits and 18 runs scored along with a team-high 25 RBIs. Kevin Donati is batting .330 with a team-high 12 stolen bases while Kyle Sacks has 21 runs scored, eight doubles, two home runs and six stolen bases with his .322 batting average. Connor Powers leads the team with five home runs. Projected starter Angelo Spedafino is 0-1 with a 7.27 ERA this season, allowing 16 runs (14 earned) on 18 hits with 10 walks and 13 strikeouts in 17 1/3 innings pitched.

All-Time Against Rhode Island
The Bobcats are 2-13 in 15 career meetings against the Rams dating back to the beginning of their Division I days. Last season, the Bobcats went 1-1 against the Rams and defeated them at home, 7-5, in a five-inning rain-shortened game to snap a 12-game losing streak. Julius Saporito went 2 for 2 with a double and three RBI to lead the Bobcats while Scott Donaghue went hit a two-run home run and Vincent Guglietti homered and was hit by a pitch. Joseph Scaglione struck out six in 4 2/3 innings for the win while Matthew Lorenzetti struck out a batter to get the save.

Scouting the Rams
Rhode Island is 13-17 overall this season and 5-4 in A-10 play after dropping two of three against the Fordham Rams this past weekend. Rhode Island will face Hartford on Wednesday before Thursday's battle. The Rams have dropped four of their last six games. Jordan Powell leads the Rams with a .355 batting average with 39 hits and seven stolen bases while Martin Figueroa has been one of the power threats with 12 doubles, one triple and four home runs to go with a .325 batting average and 22 RBIs. Four players, including Figueroa, have at least three home runs this season. As a pitching staff, the Rams have a 5.22 ERA and opponents are hitting .266 against them.

Last Time Out
The Bobcats made a huge splash in the MAAC standings this past weekend as they swept the Iona Gaels in their three-game series. Thomas Jankins pitched the Bobcats to a two-hit shutout and Robert Hitt picked up the save as the Bobcats won game one of Saturday's doubleheader, 2-0. Game two was the longest game in Quinnipiac baseball Division I history with John Bodenhamer ripping the walk-off single in the bottom of the 13^th for a 4-3 win. Lou Iannotti provided the heroics on Sunday with the walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth inning to complete the sweep.

In the MAAC
Quinnipiac climbed for 10^th to seventh in regular season league standings with the sweep of Iona. Quinnipiac sits 1.5 games behind Niagara for the final playoff spot, but there are still 15 regular season MAAC games remaining on the schedule. As of Monday, Apr. 18, the Bobcats rank second in the MAAC with 14 home runs, third with 18 sacrifice bunts, tied for first with 12 sacrifice flies and third with 38 stolen bases. Fielding continues to be a strength for the Bobcats as they are tied for second in the MAAC with a .973 fielding percentage and are fourth in the league with 23 double plays turned.

Dominant Bullpen
Over the past four games, the Quinnipiac bullpen has allowed just one run to score in 17 2/3 innings of work, including 12 2/3 of relief in the series against Iona. In addition, the Bobcats have allowed just eight hits over that span with 14 strikeouts. Justin Thomas provided four innings of dazzling relief to pick up the win in Quinnipiac's 13-inning win over Iona while Hitt appeared in three games, going 1-0 with two saves with four strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings of relief.

Near History
Thomas Jankins nearly became the second player in program history to throw a no-hitter as he took a no-hitter into the eighth inning, and perfect game into the seventh inning, in the first game against the Gaels. Jankins pitched eight innings of two-hit ball with eight strikeouts for the win. He would have joined Kyle Birdsall as the only no-hitters in program history, with Birdsall throwing the first on April 9, 2011.

Free Baseball
The Bobcats and Gaels gave the Quinnipiac faithful some free baseball this weekend. In a game that was scheduled for seven innings, the two teams ended up needed 13 innings to find a winner. It became the longest game in Quinnipiac's Division I history, surpassing the record of 12 innings which had occurred five times.

Walk-off Warriors
The history continued for the Bobcats as they recorded walk-off victories in back-to-back games for the first time in at least the program's Division I history. Bodenhamer hit a walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the 13^th to win the second game of the series before Iannotti's walk-off RBI single in the bottom of the ninth inning in the final game of the series.

Thunderstruck
Brian Moskey had the best series of his young career for the Bobcats as he led the team over the weekend with five hits, three runs scored and three doubles. Moskey also had two sacrifice hits and a full extension diving catch in the field to bring an all-around threat to the Bobcats in the outfield and leadoff spot in the lineup. He now leads the team with nine doubles and nine sacrifice hits while his 16 runs scored, 16 walks and six stolen bases are third on the team. Moskey also leads the MAAC with nine sacrifice bunts.

Come on Get Higher
Batten continued his dominant stretch of the season with five hits to join Moskey at the top of the lineup. Batten also scored a run and drove in two RBIs in the series. Batten stole two bases and also made a key diving stop in the ninth inning of the final game to put the Bobcats in position to win. Batten leads the league with 96 assists in the field while he leads the team with a .328 batting average, 26 runs scored and 45 hits while his eight doubles and 10 stolen bases are second on the team.

Fried Bird
Aron Fried stepped up in a big spot this weekend, going 3 for 9 with two walks and two runs scored, including the game-winning run in the final game of the series. Fried has filled in well at second base for the Bobcats, coming around to score five runs with nine hits in just 12 games played.

All We Are
Matthew Oestreicher was another Bobcat to pick up three hits over the weekend, including a double and a RBI for the Bobcats. He has supplanted himself as the team's designated hitter, appearing in 19 games with 14 starts through this season. Oestreicher's double was his first of the season and his 12^th RBI, tied for fourth on the team with four different players.

Ever the Same
Rob Pescitelli just continues to lead the Bobcats as he reached base a team-high seven times in the series with three hits, three walks and a hit by pitch. Pescitelli also came around to score three runs, including the game-winning run in game two, and stole a base in the series. He is tied for the most walks in the league with 27 and 16 stolen bases.

Louie, Louie
Iannotti was the hero in the final game of the series for the Bobcats with the game-winning walk-off RBI single. Iannotti was tied for the most RBIs in the series with two while he recorded a sacrifice fly and two sacrifice bunts. Iannotti has been among the best for the Bobcats this season as he leads the team with 24 RBIs and is second on the team with 39 hits, .312 batting average and .390 on base percentage.

Get me Some of That
Jankins' eight shutout innings were his second such performance of the season. He has had particularly good success against Iona, as he recorded a three-hit shutout against the Gaels with nine strikeouts in the 2014 season as a freshman. Jankins has pitching at least six innings in seven of his eight starts this season and recorded six or more strikeouts in six of the eight. He is two strikeouts shy of tying his career-high 53 strikeouts. His 51 strikeouts are the most in the league

Shake it Off
Taylor Luciani has proven to be a solid No. 2 starter for the Bobcats as pitched six innings for the eighth consecutive start this season, good for 52 innings pitched in his sophomore season. Luciani allowed just one unearned run for the Bobcats with two walks and four strikeouts as he lowered his team-leading ERA to 2.94. Luciani has been among the MAAC leader this season as he his second with a 2.94 ERA, .228 opponent batting average, 52 innings pitched, third fewest runs allowed and fourth fewest earned runs allowed.

Up Next
The Quinnipiac baseball team will open up a nine-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series against the Manhattan Jaspers. The Bobcats and Jaspers will face off in a doubleheader on Saturday, Apr. 23 beginning at 12 PM followed by the final game of the series on Sunday, Apr. 24 at 12 PM.