Saturday, April 21
Buffalo, N.Y. / Demske Sports Complex
2:30 PM
Quinnipiac University
at
Canisius
In First Place, QU Baseball Eyes Key Weekend MAAC Series with Canisius
4/19/2018 9:50:00 PM | Baseball
Quinnipiac Bobcats (16-19, 8-1 MAAC) at
Canisius Golden Griffins (20-12, 9-3 MAAC)
DATES / TIMES
Saturday, April 21 — 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (doubleheader)
Sunday, April 22 — 12 p.m.
LOCATION
Buffalo, N.Y.
LIVE STATS — GoGriffs.com
HAMDEN, Conn. — The Quinnipiac Bobcats baseball team goes on the road for a key three-game MAAC series this weekend against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Quinnipiac (8-1) is in first place in the MAAC while Canisius (9-3) is third. Manhattan (7-2) is in second place.
Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (the doubleheader was originally scheduled for earlier in the day). Sunday's game is at 12 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 9, QUINNIPIAC 8
Quinnipiac engaged in a back-and-forth game with the Bryant Bulldogs before falling in a 9-8 nonconference nail-biter on Wednesday.
Quinnipiac senior Ben Gibson went 3-for-5 with two RBI — including a two-run homer — but Bryant scored an unearned run in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth to eke out the win. Gibson's dinger was his ninth of the season, which leads the MAAC.
Fans needed a roster and a scorecard to keep track of the pitching changes at Bryant's Conaty Park — 13 pitchers were featured in the high-scoring contest.
Junior Brian Moskey, the Bobcats' leading hitter, came through in the clutch in the top of the eighth, sending an RBI single up the middle to tie the score 8-8. But the comeback was short-lived as Bryant scored an unearned run to win 9-8. Moskey's .338 batting average leads the Bobcats and is 10th in the MAAC. Meanwhile, Gibson's ninth homer extended his lead in the MAAC — his closest conference competitor has seven dingers.
BOBCATS REMAIN NO. 4 IN NEIBA POLL
Quinnipiac is ranked fourth in this week's New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Coaches Poll, which was announced Monday. QU was also No. 4 in last week's poll.
This week's rankings:
1 – UConn
2 – Northeastern
3 – Bryant
4 – Quinnipiac
5 – UMass Lowell
This is the fourth NEIBA poll of the season. Quinnipiac was ranked fifth in the season's first poll, announced on Monday, March 26. It was the first time the Bobcats had cracked the poll since 2015 and only the second time in the last decade. In the second NEIBA poll on April 2, the Bobcats dropped from the top five but received votes.
The poll is conducted by New England college baseball coaches in Division I; the top five teams are ranked. There are also polls for Divisions II and III.
LAST MAAC SERIES
The Bobcats won two of three games in their home MAAC series against the Siena Saints last Friday and Saturday.
Quinnipiac split a doubleheader with Siena on Saturday, winning game one 5-2 while Siena cruised 12-4 in game two — reversing the score of Friday's game, when QU defeated Siena 12-4 in the first game of the three-game weekend series.
The Bobcats' loss on Sunday was their first in MAAC play this season, but they remain alone in first place in the league at 8-1.
In their game one win, the Bobcats featured great defense, timely hitting and resilient pitching. The great D was on display in the fourth inning with Siena ahead 1-0. With runners at first and second and no outs, the Bobcats turned a highly unconventional double play.
Siena senior Jordan Bishop drove a ball over the head of Bobcats sophomore left fielder Andre Marrero, but Siena's baserunner at second got a slow jump and was thrown out at the plate by a perfect relay from Marrero to freshman shortstop Ian Ostberg to freshman catcher Colton Bender. Quinnipiac's defense didn't stop there, though — Bender caught Siena's other baserunner in no man's land between second and third. The QU catcher threw from home to junior second baseman Kevin Huscher, who threw to sophomore third baseman Evan Vulgamore, who tagged Kelly for the atypical double play.
Quinnipiac's tremendous defensive play prevented a big inning, so Siena led only 1-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth — and the Bobcats quickly capitalized on their defensive work.
Marrero was hit by a pitch and junior Brian Moskey singled to left field, and a double steal placed runners at second and third with no outs. Vulgamore followed with a classic at-bat: He fouled off some tough pitches with two strikes before sending a two-RBI single up the middle. Quinnipiac was ahead 2-1 after four innings and on the way to a 5-2 win.
Quinnipiac starter Brandon Shileikis, a graduate student, threw a complete (seven-inning) game to nab the win, allowing only two runs while scattering nine hits. A 6-foot-1 right-hander, Shileikis (4-3) had five strikeouts and no walks.
HOME SWEET HOME
After playing 26 straight road games over two months to start the season, Quinnipiac finally hosted a visitor at the QU Baseball Field in the weekend series against Monmouth on April 7-8. The Bobcats' three-game series sweep was the first time they swept the Hawks. The long road exodus had sent the Bobcats to such destinations as Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Long Island and New Jersey.
In the doubleheader with Monmouth on April 8, Quinnipiac was propelled to victory by the clutch hitting of junior Liam Scafariello and senior Ben Gibson, who tag-teamed for some walk-off magic. Each player had the game-winning hit in Quinnipiac's last at-bat, and the final score of each game was 4-3.
MAAC PRESEASON POLL
Quinnipiac was picked to finish eighth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats were placed between Siena and Rider. Marist was slated to finish first, garnering seven first-place votes, with Canisius, Fairfield and Niagara rounding out the top four.
HEAD COACH JOHN DELANEY
Head Coach John Delaney is in his fourth season at the helm with Quinnipiac baseball. He has amassed 82 wins in his three-plus years as head coach, including 29 wins in 2015, which tied the program record for most victories in a single season. The Bobcats went 29-27 (15-9 MAAC) overall that year, finishing third in the conference — their highest regular season conference finish since winning the regular season Northeast Conference title in 2007, when Delaney played for the team.
NEXT UP
After the Bobcats travel to Canisius for their three-game weekend MAAC series, they return home on Tuesday for a nonconference game against the Hartford Hawks, who have defeated Quinnipiac twice this season. Tuesday's game time is 3 p.m.
Canisius Golden Griffins (20-12, 9-3 MAAC)
DATES / TIMES
Saturday, April 21 — 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (doubleheader)
Sunday, April 22 — 12 p.m.
LOCATION
Buffalo, N.Y.
LIVE STATS — GoGriffs.com
HAMDEN, Conn. — The Quinnipiac Bobcats baseball team goes on the road for a key three-game MAAC series this weekend against the Canisius Golden Griffins. Quinnipiac (8-1) is in first place in the MAAC while Canisius (9-3) is third. Manhattan (7-2) is in second place.
Saturday's doubleheader is slated for 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. (the doubleheader was originally scheduled for earlier in the day). Sunday's game is at 12 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT: BRYANT 9, QUINNIPIAC 8
Quinnipiac engaged in a back-and-forth game with the Bryant Bulldogs before falling in a 9-8 nonconference nail-biter on Wednesday.
Quinnipiac senior Ben Gibson went 3-for-5 with two RBI — including a two-run homer — but Bryant scored an unearned run in a tie game in the bottom of the eighth to eke out the win. Gibson's dinger was his ninth of the season, which leads the MAAC.
Fans needed a roster and a scorecard to keep track of the pitching changes at Bryant's Conaty Park — 13 pitchers were featured in the high-scoring contest.
Junior Brian Moskey, the Bobcats' leading hitter, came through in the clutch in the top of the eighth, sending an RBI single up the middle to tie the score 8-8. But the comeback was short-lived as Bryant scored an unearned run to win 9-8. Moskey's .338 batting average leads the Bobcats and is 10th in the MAAC. Meanwhile, Gibson's ninth homer extended his lead in the MAAC — his closest conference competitor has seven dingers.
BOBCATS REMAIN NO. 4 IN NEIBA POLL
Quinnipiac is ranked fourth in this week's New England Intercollegiate Baseball Association Coaches Poll, which was announced Monday. QU was also No. 4 in last week's poll.
This week's rankings:
1 – UConn
2 – Northeastern
3 – Bryant
4 – Quinnipiac
5 – UMass Lowell
This is the fourth NEIBA poll of the season. Quinnipiac was ranked fifth in the season's first poll, announced on Monday, March 26. It was the first time the Bobcats had cracked the poll since 2015 and only the second time in the last decade. In the second NEIBA poll on April 2, the Bobcats dropped from the top five but received votes.
The poll is conducted by New England college baseball coaches in Division I; the top five teams are ranked. There are also polls for Divisions II and III.
LAST MAAC SERIES
The Bobcats won two of three games in their home MAAC series against the Siena Saints last Friday and Saturday.
Quinnipiac split a doubleheader with Siena on Saturday, winning game one 5-2 while Siena cruised 12-4 in game two — reversing the score of Friday's game, when QU defeated Siena 12-4 in the first game of the three-game weekend series.
The Bobcats' loss on Sunday was their first in MAAC play this season, but they remain alone in first place in the league at 8-1.
In their game one win, the Bobcats featured great defense, timely hitting and resilient pitching. The great D was on display in the fourth inning with Siena ahead 1-0. With runners at first and second and no outs, the Bobcats turned a highly unconventional double play.
Siena senior Jordan Bishop drove a ball over the head of Bobcats sophomore left fielder Andre Marrero, but Siena's baserunner at second got a slow jump and was thrown out at the plate by a perfect relay from Marrero to freshman shortstop Ian Ostberg to freshman catcher Colton Bender. Quinnipiac's defense didn't stop there, though — Bender caught Siena's other baserunner in no man's land between second and third. The QU catcher threw from home to junior second baseman Kevin Huscher, who threw to sophomore third baseman Evan Vulgamore, who tagged Kelly for the atypical double play.
Quinnipiac's tremendous defensive play prevented a big inning, so Siena led only 1-0 heading to the bottom of the fourth — and the Bobcats quickly capitalized on their defensive work.
Marrero was hit by a pitch and junior Brian Moskey singled to left field, and a double steal placed runners at second and third with no outs. Vulgamore followed with a classic at-bat: He fouled off some tough pitches with two strikes before sending a two-RBI single up the middle. Quinnipiac was ahead 2-1 after four innings and on the way to a 5-2 win.
Quinnipiac starter Brandon Shileikis, a graduate student, threw a complete (seven-inning) game to nab the win, allowing only two runs while scattering nine hits. A 6-foot-1 right-hander, Shileikis (4-3) had five strikeouts and no walks.
HOME SWEET HOME
After playing 26 straight road games over two months to start the season, Quinnipiac finally hosted a visitor at the QU Baseball Field in the weekend series against Monmouth on April 7-8. The Bobcats' three-game series sweep was the first time they swept the Hawks. The long road exodus had sent the Bobcats to such destinations as Texas, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Long Island and New Jersey.
In the doubleheader with Monmouth on April 8, Quinnipiac was propelled to victory by the clutch hitting of junior Liam Scafariello and senior Ben Gibson, who tag-teamed for some walk-off magic. Each player had the game-winning hit in Quinnipiac's last at-bat, and the final score of each game was 4-3.
MAAC PRESEASON POLL
Quinnipiac was picked to finish eighth in the MAAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Bobcats were placed between Siena and Rider. Marist was slated to finish first, garnering seven first-place votes, with Canisius, Fairfield and Niagara rounding out the top four.
HEAD COACH JOHN DELANEY
Head Coach John Delaney is in his fourth season at the helm with Quinnipiac baseball. He has amassed 82 wins in his three-plus years as head coach, including 29 wins in 2015, which tied the program record for most victories in a single season. The Bobcats went 29-27 (15-9 MAAC) overall that year, finishing third in the conference — their highest regular season conference finish since winning the regular season Northeast Conference title in 2007, when Delaney played for the team.
NEXT UP
After the Bobcats travel to Canisius for their three-game weekend MAAC series, they return home on Tuesday for a nonconference game against the Hartford Hawks, who have defeated Quinnipiac twice this season. Tuesday's game time is 3 p.m.
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