QU Baseball's MAAC Tournament Hopes Alive Following Split With Fairfield

Thursday, May 18

Hamden, CT

12 PM

Quinnipiac University

18-30, 11-11

Fairfield University

28-21, 15-7

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Fairfield	0	1	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	3	8	1
Quinnipiac	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	1	X	4	8	2

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
Fairfield	0	0	0	4	0	2	0	6	8	1
Quinnipiac	0	0	1	2	0	1	1	5	9	2

QU Baseball's MAAC Tournament Hopes Alive Following Split With Fairfield

5/18/2017 6:16:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

By: QU Sports Information

HAMDEN, Connecticut – The Quinnipiac University baseball team split a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference doubleheader against in-state foe Fairfield, winning the first game, 4-3, before dropping the second game, 6-5. The Bobcats drop to 18-31 overall and 11-12 in the MAAC while Fairfield improves to 29-21 overall and 16-7 in the conference.

Mike Davis (Sandy Hook, Connecticut) closed-out the first game of Thursday's doubleheader for his ninth save of the season, breaking Robbie Hitt's all-time program record of eight from 2016. Davis also converted on his MAAC-best seventh conference save of the season. Matthew Batten (Shelton, Connecticut) also tied the Quinnipiac Division I career runs scored record of 139, previously held by current Quinnipiac head coach John Delaney.

For the day, Mike Palladino (Rockville Center, New York) was 4-for-8 with three doubles and three runs scored. Joseph Burns (Shelton, Connecticut) was 3-for-7 and drive in a team-leading three RBI in the doubleheader. Liam Scafariello (Southington, Connecticut) drove in two runs and scored three more.

Chris Enns (Canton, Connecticut) took a no-decision in Game 1 despite a dominant performance in which just one of his three runs allowed were earned. Enns scattered eight hits over 7 2/3 innings. Wyatt Hamilton (Sagamore Beach, Massachusetts) picked up the win after striking the only batter he faced in the eighth inning of the first game. Taylor Luciani (Berlin, Connecticut) was tagged with a loss after allowing three runs in 3 2/3 in the loss in Game 2.

In the first game, Palladino was 3-for-4 with two doubles while also scoring the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning. Ryan Nelson (Knoxville, Tennessee) was 2-for-3 with a home run while Batten, Scafariello and Burns all drove in runs for the Bobcats. Scafariello also added a run scored.

In the second game, Burns was 2-for-3 with two RBI while Scafariello scored twice.

With the final regular-season conference schedule concluding on Friday, May 19, the Bobcats will need some help from around the league in the final standings. If Quinnipiac defeats Fairfield, they'll improve to 12-12. Niagara (12-11) plays at Canisius; Manhattan (11-12) plays at Saint Peter's and Siena (10-12) will play two at Marist, while Monmouth (10-12) also play two at Iona. Follow @TheQBaseball and @MAACSports for standing updates. MAAC STANDINGS

Game 1 Recap

Fairfield put the first run of the game on the board in the second inning when Michael Conti drove home Troy Scocca to give the Stags a 1-0 lead.
In the third inning, Andre Marrero walked before Palladino doubled to put runners on second and third for Matthew Batten. Batten's ground ball to second scored Marrero to tie the game at 1-1.
Scafariello then hit a ground ball to short, that was fielded by Stags shortstop Michael Conti who threw out Palladino attempting to score.
After Scafariello moved to second on a wild pitch, Joseph Burns singled through the left side of the infield to score Scafariello from second and give the Bobcats a 2-1 lead.
In the fourth, Nelson made an incredible defensive play when he leaped an sneered a Jack Gethings' line drive. Nelson then followed in the bottom half of the inning with his fifth home run of the season to give Quinnipiac a 3-1 lead.
In the sixth, a Conti groundball to third created havoc for the Bobcats. Burns made a stab at the ball behind the third base bag and fired the ball to first, but a miscue on the other end ultimately led to two unearned runs for the Stags to tie it at 3-3.
In the eighth, Palladino led off with a double off the right-center field wall before Batten bunted him over. Scafariello then drove in Palladino with the go-ahead run on a single through the left side of the infield.
Hamilton came-on in relief of Enns, striking out the only batter he faced in the bottom of the eighth. Davis then entered into the game in the ninth, and despite allowing a base runner, locked in his ninth save of the season.

Game 2 Recap

In the bottom of the third, Ben Gibson led-off the inning with a double off the left-center field wall after a nine-pitch at-bat saw Gibson foul-off four straight pitches before his line drive off the top of the wall. Gibson came around to score after Andre Marrero doubled the opposite way when he dropped a line drive just inside the right field line.
In the fourth, Fairfield answered with a four-run inning to take a 4-1 lead. Tim Zeng reached on a single before moving to second on a wild pitch and scoring on a single by Jack Gethings. After Drew Arciulo walked, Troy Scocca turned on a two-strike offering from Matthew Osieja and drove it over the right field fence to give the Stags a three-run lead.
In the bottom half of the inning, Batten sent a towering drive to deep right field that dropped in for a double. He came around and scored on Scafariello's double to left field. Scafariello then scored on a single to left field by Burns, who was thrown out at second attempting to stretch the hit into a double as the Bobcats pulled within a run, 4-3.
After Fairfield increased its lead to 6-3, Burns' RBI double plated Scafariello to trim the Stags' lead to 6-4.
In the bottom of the seventh, Julius Saporito (Manalapan, New Jersey) blasted a pinch-hit double over the head of Fairfield's centerfielder and moved to third on Marrero's ground-out to short. Palladino then made it a one-run game with a double down the right field line to score Saporito before Batten's deep drive to center ended the game, 6-5.