Sunday, May 13
Poughkeepsie, N.Y. / McCann Baseball Field
12:00 PM
Quinnipiac University
23-26, 14=6
3
at
5
Marist
25-18, 13-7
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 0 |
| Marist | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 | 9 | 0 |
Ben Gibson’s 2 Home Runs Rally Bobcats, but Marist Still Completes Doubleheader Sweep
5/13/2018 7:03:00 PM | Baseball
Bruce Deckert | QU Athletic Communications
SCORES
GAME 1 — Marist 5, Quinnipiac 3
GAME 2 — Marist 13, Quinnipiac 9
RECORDS
Quinnipiac — 23-27, 14-7 MAAC
Marist — 26-18, 14-7 MAAC
LOCATION
McCann Baseball Field — Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
HAMDEN, Conn. — The Quinnipiac Bobcats dropped both games of a MAAC doubleheader to the Marist Red Foxes on Sunday at McCann Baseball Field in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. With the sweep, the Red Foxes have drawn even with the Bobcats atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings.
Marist defeated Quinnipiac 5-3 in game one and 13-9 in game two, despite two home runs in the nightcap by Bobcats senior slugger Ben Gibson.
Until Sunday night, the Bobcats had been alone in first place in the MAAC since the opening weekend of the conference season.
GAME ONE: EARLY QU RALLY NOT ENOUGH IN 5-3 LOSS
The Red Foxes wasted no time getting on the board in game one. In the bottom of the first inning QU starter Brandon Shileikis hit Marist leadoff hitter Anthony Lazar with a pitch, and with one out Shileikis issued back-to-back walks — each one on a full count — to load the bases.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander got the next batter on a popout in foul territory, setting himself up to escape the bases-jammed predicament. But then Marist junior Randy Taveras capitalized via a two-run single to right field, and Marist led 2-0 after one inning.
The Red Foxes scored again in the bottom of the second on a single, a hit-by-pitch and a one-out RBI single. A two-out single loaded the bases for the second straight inning, but Shileikis struck out the next batter to minimize the damage and keep Marist's lead at 3-0.
Quinnipiac evened the score in the fourth inning. Gibson led off the top of the fourth with a single to center field, and sophomore Evan Vulgamore blasted a two-run homer down the left-field line. With one out, freshman Colton Bender hit a home run to left field to pull Quinnipiac even at 3-3.
Vulgamore's 10th home run of the season means that he has joined teammates Gibson and junior Liam Scafariello in the double-digit home run club (only one other MAAC hitter is in that club).
The tie was short-lived. In the bottom of the fourth, Marist redshirt senior Greg Kocinski followed a one-out single with a two-run homer that put the Red Foxes ahead 5-3, a lead that held up as the final in seven innings. (In college baseball, one doubleheader game is typically seven innings.)
Senior left-hander Charlie Jerla earned the win, going the distance and improving his record to 6-5. Shileikis, a graduate student, took the loss as his record dropped to 5-6.
GAME TWO: TOPSY-TURVY CONTEST ENDS IN MARIST'S FAVOR
Marist led 1-0 after one inning and scored five runs in the bottom of the second on three singles, two walks and a double (in summation, not in that order).
Quinnipiac got back in the game by scoring five runs in the top of the fifth. Senior Anthony Cruz led off the inning with a single and then junior Kevin Huscher hit his first home run of the season, trimming the deficit to 6-2. Next, freshman Ian Ostberg singled to center field, sophomore Andre Marrero doubled, and Ostberg scored on a throwing error.
One out later, Gibson launched a two-run homer to left field, pulling Quinnipiac within a run at 6-5.
Marist tallied two runs in the bottom of the fifth — on a single, an RBI double and an RBI single — to extend the lead to 8-5.
But in the top of the sixth inning, QU evened things in dramatic fashion, thanks to three batters who were also involved in the Bobcats' rally the previous inning. After Ostberg singled and Marrero walked, Gibson stepped to the dish with two outs, representing the tying run at the plate — and he delivered, crushing a three-run homer to center field and tying the game 8-8.
Gibson's two home runs in consecutive innings of game two give him 16 this season, which leads the MAAC, while Scafariello (13) is second.
However, Marist scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and three in the eighth, while Quinnipiac could muster only one more, in the seventh. And those surplus runs were plenty for Marist to emerge with a 13-9 victory.
Nick Cantone (2-0) notched the win for Marist and closer Mike Coss got his eighth save, while Mike DellaMedaglia (0-2) took the loss.
SERIES NOTES
• With his two homers in game two Sunday, senior Ben Gibson has tied Quinnipiac's single-season HR record at the Division I level (16 HRs). Joe Zangari set the record in 1999 and junior Liam Scafariello tied it last year. QU's all-time single-season record is 18 homers, set by Tim Belcher in 1997 at the Division II level. Gibson is also tied with Scafariello for QU's career D-I home run record with 29.
• Meanwhile, Gibson's 5 RBI in game two Sunday give him 47 this year, which is tied for third in Quinnipiac's single-season Division I history, three off the record of 50 shared by Zangari in 1999 and Jeff Mainetti in 2007 (Belcher had 76 at the D-II level).
• In dropping two of three games this weekend to Marist, Quinnipiac lost a MAAC series for only the second time this season. QU has won five of seven MAAC series this year, including four straight to start the season. The Bobcats have one three-game series left in the regular season, at Rider (details below).
• The 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship will be held from May 23-26 (Wednesday-Saturday) in Staten Island at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, the home of the Staten Island Yankees, a Class A minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. The MAAC Championship is a double-elimination format, and the winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Marist won the MAAC Championship last year.
• In the 2017 MAAC regular season, Fairfield finished first with a 17-7 record, one game ahead of second-place Marist and Canisius (both 16-8). Quinnipiac posted an 11-13 conference record in 2017, tied for the MAAC's fifth-best record. A logjam of ties at fourth and fifth meant that QU didn't make the 2017 MAAC playoffs.
NEXT UP
The Bobcats will travel to Rider for a three-game MAAC series — their last series of the regular season — on Thursday, May 17 (2 p.m.) and Friday, May 18 (doubleheader, 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.) in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Quinnipiac's 2018 undergraduate commencement ceremonies take place Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 — which explains why the usual Saturday-Sunday baseball games are scheduled for earlier in the week.
SCORES
GAME 1 — Marist 5, Quinnipiac 3
GAME 2 — Marist 13, Quinnipiac 9
RECORDS
Quinnipiac — 23-27, 14-7 MAAC
Marist — 26-18, 14-7 MAAC
LOCATION
McCann Baseball Field — Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
HAMDEN, Conn. — The Quinnipiac Bobcats dropped both games of a MAAC doubleheader to the Marist Red Foxes on Sunday at McCann Baseball Field in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. With the sweep, the Red Foxes have drawn even with the Bobcats atop the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference standings.
Marist defeated Quinnipiac 5-3 in game one and 13-9 in game two, despite two home runs in the nightcap by Bobcats senior slugger Ben Gibson.
Until Sunday night, the Bobcats had been alone in first place in the MAAC since the opening weekend of the conference season.
GAME ONE: EARLY QU RALLY NOT ENOUGH IN 5-3 LOSS
The Red Foxes wasted no time getting on the board in game one. In the bottom of the first inning QU starter Brandon Shileikis hit Marist leadoff hitter Anthony Lazar with a pitch, and with one out Shileikis issued back-to-back walks — each one on a full count — to load the bases.
The 6-foot-1 right-hander got the next batter on a popout in foul territory, setting himself up to escape the bases-jammed predicament. But then Marist junior Randy Taveras capitalized via a two-run single to right field, and Marist led 2-0 after one inning.
The Red Foxes scored again in the bottom of the second on a single, a hit-by-pitch and a one-out RBI single. A two-out single loaded the bases for the second straight inning, but Shileikis struck out the next batter to minimize the damage and keep Marist's lead at 3-0.
Quinnipiac evened the score in the fourth inning. Gibson led off the top of the fourth with a single to center field, and sophomore Evan Vulgamore blasted a two-run homer down the left-field line. With one out, freshman Colton Bender hit a home run to left field to pull Quinnipiac even at 3-3.
Vulgamore's 10th home run of the season means that he has joined teammates Gibson and junior Liam Scafariello in the double-digit home run club (only one other MAAC hitter is in that club).
The tie was short-lived. In the bottom of the fourth, Marist redshirt senior Greg Kocinski followed a one-out single with a two-run homer that put the Red Foxes ahead 5-3, a lead that held up as the final in seven innings. (In college baseball, one doubleheader game is typically seven innings.)
Senior left-hander Charlie Jerla earned the win, going the distance and improving his record to 6-5. Shileikis, a graduate student, took the loss as his record dropped to 5-6.
GAME TWO: TOPSY-TURVY CONTEST ENDS IN MARIST'S FAVOR
Marist led 1-0 after one inning and scored five runs in the bottom of the second on three singles, two walks and a double (in summation, not in that order).
Quinnipiac got back in the game by scoring five runs in the top of the fifth. Senior Anthony Cruz led off the inning with a single and then junior Kevin Huscher hit his first home run of the season, trimming the deficit to 6-2. Next, freshman Ian Ostberg singled to center field, sophomore Andre Marrero doubled, and Ostberg scored on a throwing error.
One out later, Gibson launched a two-run homer to left field, pulling Quinnipiac within a run at 6-5.
Marist tallied two runs in the bottom of the fifth — on a single, an RBI double and an RBI single — to extend the lead to 8-5.
But in the top of the sixth inning, QU evened things in dramatic fashion, thanks to three batters who were also involved in the Bobcats' rally the previous inning. After Ostberg singled and Marrero walked, Gibson stepped to the dish with two outs, representing the tying run at the plate — and he delivered, crushing a three-run homer to center field and tying the game 8-8.
Gibson's two home runs in consecutive innings of game two give him 16 this season, which leads the MAAC, while Scafariello (13) is second.
However, Marist scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning and three in the eighth, while Quinnipiac could muster only one more, in the seventh. And those surplus runs were plenty for Marist to emerge with a 13-9 victory.
Nick Cantone (2-0) notched the win for Marist and closer Mike Coss got his eighth save, while Mike DellaMedaglia (0-2) took the loss.
SERIES NOTES
• With his two homers in game two Sunday, senior Ben Gibson has tied Quinnipiac's single-season HR record at the Division I level (16 HRs). Joe Zangari set the record in 1999 and junior Liam Scafariello tied it last year. QU's all-time single-season record is 18 homers, set by Tim Belcher in 1997 at the Division II level. Gibson is also tied with Scafariello for QU's career D-I home run record with 29.
• Meanwhile, Gibson's 5 RBI in game two Sunday give him 47 this year, which is tied for third in Quinnipiac's single-season Division I history, three off the record of 50 shared by Zangari in 1999 and Jeff Mainetti in 2007 (Belcher had 76 at the D-II level).
• In dropping two of three games this weekend to Marist, Quinnipiac lost a MAAC series for only the second time this season. QU has won five of seven MAAC series this year, including four straight to start the season. The Bobcats have one three-game series left in the regular season, at Rider (details below).
• The 2018 MAAC Baseball Championship will be held from May 23-26 (Wednesday-Saturday) in Staten Island at Richmond County Bank Ballpark, the home of the Staten Island Yankees, a Class A minor league affiliate of the New York Yankees. The MAAC Championship is a double-elimination format, and the winner receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Marist won the MAAC Championship last year.
• In the 2017 MAAC regular season, Fairfield finished first with a 17-7 record, one game ahead of second-place Marist and Canisius (both 16-8). Quinnipiac posted an 11-13 conference record in 2017, tied for the MAAC's fifth-best record. A logjam of ties at fourth and fifth meant that QU didn't make the 2017 MAAC playoffs.
NEXT UP
The Bobcats will travel to Rider for a three-game MAAC series — their last series of the regular season — on Thursday, May 17 (2 p.m.) and Friday, May 18 (doubleheader, 12 p.m. and 3 p.m.) in Lawrenceville, N.J.
Quinnipiac's 2018 undergraduate commencement ceremonies take place Saturday, May 19 and Sunday, May 20 — which explains why the usual Saturday-Sunday baseball games are scheduled for earlier in the week.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jerla, Charlie (6-5)
L: Shileikis, Brandon (5-6)
Batting:
HR: Vulgamore, Evan 1 ; Bender, Colton 1
RBI: Vulgamore, Evan 2 ; Bender, Colton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gibson, Ben 1 ; Vulgamore, Evan 1 ; Bender, Colton 1
Batting:
3B: Iantosca, Matt 1
HR: Kocinski, Greg 1
RBI: Rouse, Andrew 1 ; Kocinski, Greg 2 ; Taveras, Randy 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Lazar, Anthony 1 ; Rouse, Andrew 1 ; Kocinski, Greg 2 ; Iantosca, Matt 1
HBP: Lazar, Anthony 1 ; Roper, Jordan 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
2
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
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C/INF
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RHP
/ BaseballRHP/INF
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
INF
/ Baseball
1B/OF
/ Baseball
RHP
/ BaseballC/INF
/ BaseballWednesday, May 27
Friday, May 08
Thursday, May 07
Sunday, May 03
