Herzog Smacks Go-Ahead RBI Single in Top of Seventh; Tosses Complete Game Four-Hit Shutout to Lead Quinnipiac into MAAC Semifinals
By: QU Sports Information
POUGHKEEPSIE, New York – Having grown up just minutes from the Marist College campus, it's safe to say Wappingers Falls native Casey Herzog's childhood dreams came true on Friday as her heroics lifted No. 6 seed Quinnipiac softball to a 1-0 upset win over No. 2 Manhattan in the MAAC Tournament.
Having dominated one of the MAAC's elite offensive teams, stacked with four All-MAAC First Team selections, it was evident this classic pitcher's duel was going to come down to who could score the first run. After six scoreless frames, a two-out walk in the top of the seventh issued to Erin Larsen (Orlando, Florida) loomed large as Dani Edmands (Northborough, Massachusetts) followed with a single to right, setting the stage for Herzog at the dish.
With the pressure and intensity at a fever pitch, the diminutive Herzog swallowed the emotion and crushed the second pitch of the at-bat right back up the middle to send her teammates into hysterics on the bench. The run driven in was just the fifth of the season for Herzog, who came into today's postseason game batting .179 for the season, but no RBI is more important for the Bobcats thus far throughout their 55-game season. Erin Larsen Met at Home by Abby Johnson, Scoring the Go-Ahead Run for the Bobcats
As the go-ahead run came around to score, the Bobcat bench all came to their feet to meet Larsen at the plate but there was still more work to be done as Herzog walked back to the mound with plenty of work to do, needing one more scoreless inning to seal a second straight postseason victory.
Again with the pressure squarely on Herzog looking to close out the win, the sophomore righthander induced a pop out and ground out in her first two pitches of the inning. With the Jaspers down to their last out, the count worked to 2-2 before Herzog bore down and notched her fifth strikeout to end the game and send the Bobcat bench and their faithful into another frenzy.
The final team to earn a spot in the MAAC Tournament field, the sixth-seeded Bobcats picked up their season-high sixth straight victory which also stands as the longest unbeaten streak since Quinnipiac ripped off a seven straight wins in the 2013 season. Now 28-27 on the season, the Bobcats are also riding their winningest campaign since notching 32 wins in 2012.
Herzog was masterful on the mound for the Bobcats as she twirled a four-hit shutout with five strikeouts and no walks for her 13th win of the season. The sophomore has been nothing short of dominant in her last four outings as she is 3-0 with one save while having tossed 16.2 innings without allowing a run. In those 16.2 innings, Herzog has racked up 20 strikeouts against just three walks while also allowing six hits. Dating back to May 6, Herzog has pitched 17 straight scoreless frames. Just one day removed from picking up the two-out save in the MAAC Tournament opening 2-0 win over No. 3 Canisius, Herzog's late-inning magic have lifted the Bobcats into the MAAC Semifinals (winner's bracket title game).
Sarah Heimbach (Left) Hugging Miranda Migana (Right) Following Casey Herzog's Game-Ending Strikeout
With nothing going on the offensive end through the first six innings of play, the Bobcats mustered just two base hits against Manhattan's Briana Matazinsky. In both the first and fourth inning, Quinnipiac smacked a leadoff single but the runner would only get to first base as three successive outs followed in each inning.
Manhattan strung together a great scoring chance in the fourth as Elena Bowman smacked a single to center field and a fielding error put two runners on base with no outs in the inning. After a fly out to right advanced Bowman to third base, a fly ball to center field look dangerous for the potential sacrifice fly but the Jaspers chose not to test Keilani Finley's (Alameda, California) arm with a throw-down to home. As Finley's throw home was a dart into the catcher Edmands' glove, Manhattan made a costly base running blunder as the runner on first base made a move to try and take second but Edmands alertly threw to Emily Czaja (Palmer, Massachusetts) covering second for the inning-ending double play.
Another threat came in the fifth as Alexa Dawid pushed a bunt single back to the mound but Herzog responded with three straight outs, the last of which came on a swinging punch-out to keep the game scoreless heading into the decisive final two innings.
Dani Edmands (Middle) Basking in the Bobcats' Postgame Celebration Huddle
The Jaspers again mustered a scoring chance in the sixth as Bowman moved intoscoring position with one out but a fly out and ground out back to Herzog again snuffed out a potential go-ahead run for Manhattan.
Four Bobcats finished with one base hit in the game as Herzog, Edmands, Miranda Magana (Santa Paula, California) and Sarah Heimbach (Greenwich, New York) each notched singles. The lone remaining baserunner on the day, Larsen, came up with the big two-out walk in the seventh that eventually led to the game-winning run on the Herzog RBI single.
Quinnipiac's first appearance in MAAC postseason play has already been a thrilling ride as the Bobcats advance to play the winner of the matchup between No. 1 Marist and No. 5 Fairfield on Friday morning at 11 AM.
