Friday, May 18
Hamden, Conn.
11:00 AM
Quinnipiac University
25-27, 16-7
4
vs
1
Rider
11-35, 11-35
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Quinnipiac | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 0 |
| Rider | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 0 |
QU Baseball Splits to Secure MAAC Bye as Ben Gibson Sets New School Records
5/18/2018 5:30:00 PM | Baseball
HAMDEN, Conn. -- The Quinnipiac baseball team earned a bye in the opening round of next week's MAAC Tournament as either the No. 1 or the No. 2 seed by taking the first game of a doubleheader with Rider 4-1 on Friday afternoon at Quinnipiac Baseball Field, before Rider bounced back to take the nightcap 14-8 in the regular season finale for both teams.
With the split, the Bobcats finish the regular season 16-8 in the MAAC and have guaranteed themselves one of the top two seeds in the MAAC Tournament. Monmouth improved to 16-7 with a sweep of Fairfield on Friday, but a Fairfield win in the series finale would give Quinnipiac a share of the regular season title, along with Canisius, which also finished 16-8. The Bobcats have tiebreakers with both Monmouth and Canisius for seeding purposes due to head-to-head series wins.
The day was also historic for senior first baseman Ben Gibson, who broke Quinnipiac's single-season Division I home run record with a two-run shot in the opening game (his 17th) and then tied the school's all-time record for all divisions with a grand slam in the nightcap (his 18th). The grand slam also gave him 53 RBI this season, setting a new Bobcat single-season record at the Division I level, while increasing his career home run total to 31, which is also a Quinnipiac Division I mark.
Junior pitcher Tyler Poulin went the distance in the first game, allowing seven hits and striking out six while walking none for his first complete game of the season in the 4-1 Bobcat win. He did not allow a run until the seventh, when the Broncs had two runners on and the tying run at the plate, but he finished off his victory with three straight outs on a fly ball, strikeout and grounder to shortstop.
Junior center field Brian Moskey got things started for Quinnipiac in the top of the first inning with a solo home run to put the Bobcats on top early. In the second inning, junior right fielder Liam Scafariello singled and stole second, and then came home to score on a close play at the plate on a single from freshman second baseman Ian Ostberg.
The score stayed 2-0 until the top of the fifth inning when Moskey drew a walk to get on base in front of Gibson, who sent a towering shot over the fence in left field to double the Bobcat lead to 4-0. Gibson came into the day tied for the Quinnipiac record for home runs in a single season with 16, a mark which Scafariello tied last year (Joe Zangari was the first to do it in 1999). The homer was also the 30th of Gibson's career, snapping a tie with Scafariello for the career Division I home run lead at Quinnipiac.
Poulin worked quickly through the fifth and sixth innings, but ran into his first major trouble of the game with three straight singles to lead off the bottom of the seventh as Rider cut the lead to 4-1 and brought the tying run to the plate. He regrouped, though, to get the final three outs and secure the bye for the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac took a 4-0 lead in the nightcap in the top of the fourth inning, with senior designated hitter Anthony Cruz hitting a two-run double to key the rally. However, Rider came back with seven runs in the bottom half of the fourth, then added two in the fifth and five in the sixth to break the game open with a 14-4 lead.
In the ninth inning, Gibson stepped up with the bases loaded and drove another pitch out of the park, keeping his line drive just inside the left-field foul pole. That marked his 18th homer of the year, tying the Quinnipiac all-time record set by Tim Belcher in 1997 at the Division II level. It also gave Gibson 53 RBI this season, breaking the old Division I record set by Zangari in 1999 and matched by Jeff Mainetti in 2007.
Poulin's six strikeouts gave him 80 this season, moving him past Thomas Jankins (79) and into second place on Quinnipiac's all-time single-season list at the Division I level. The record of 81 is held by Chris Gloor, which he set in 2009.
If Monmouth loses its finale and Quinnipiac earns the No. 1 seed, it will open MAAC play on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. If the Hawks win their finale and earn the No. 1 seed, the Bobcats will open the postseason as the No. 2 seed on Thursday at 12 noon.
With the split, the Bobcats finish the regular season 16-8 in the MAAC and have guaranteed themselves one of the top two seeds in the MAAC Tournament. Monmouth improved to 16-7 with a sweep of Fairfield on Friday, but a Fairfield win in the series finale would give Quinnipiac a share of the regular season title, along with Canisius, which also finished 16-8. The Bobcats have tiebreakers with both Monmouth and Canisius for seeding purposes due to head-to-head series wins.
The day was also historic for senior first baseman Ben Gibson, who broke Quinnipiac's single-season Division I home run record with a two-run shot in the opening game (his 17th) and then tied the school's all-time record for all divisions with a grand slam in the nightcap (his 18th). The grand slam also gave him 53 RBI this season, setting a new Bobcat single-season record at the Division I level, while increasing his career home run total to 31, which is also a Quinnipiac Division I mark.
Junior pitcher Tyler Poulin went the distance in the first game, allowing seven hits and striking out six while walking none for his first complete game of the season in the 4-1 Bobcat win. He did not allow a run until the seventh, when the Broncs had two runners on and the tying run at the plate, but he finished off his victory with three straight outs on a fly ball, strikeout and grounder to shortstop.
Junior center field Brian Moskey got things started for Quinnipiac in the top of the first inning with a solo home run to put the Bobcats on top early. In the second inning, junior right fielder Liam Scafariello singled and stole second, and then came home to score on a close play at the plate on a single from freshman second baseman Ian Ostberg.
The score stayed 2-0 until the top of the fifth inning when Moskey drew a walk to get on base in front of Gibson, who sent a towering shot over the fence in left field to double the Bobcat lead to 4-0. Gibson came into the day tied for the Quinnipiac record for home runs in a single season with 16, a mark which Scafariello tied last year (Joe Zangari was the first to do it in 1999). The homer was also the 30th of Gibson's career, snapping a tie with Scafariello for the career Division I home run lead at Quinnipiac.
Poulin worked quickly through the fifth and sixth innings, but ran into his first major trouble of the game with three straight singles to lead off the bottom of the seventh as Rider cut the lead to 4-1 and brought the tying run to the plate. He regrouped, though, to get the final three outs and secure the bye for the Bobcats.
Quinnipiac took a 4-0 lead in the nightcap in the top of the fourth inning, with senior designated hitter Anthony Cruz hitting a two-run double to key the rally. However, Rider came back with seven runs in the bottom half of the fourth, then added two in the fifth and five in the sixth to break the game open with a 14-4 lead.
In the ninth inning, Gibson stepped up with the bases loaded and drove another pitch out of the park, keeping his line drive just inside the left-field foul pole. That marked his 18th homer of the year, tying the Quinnipiac all-time record set by Tim Belcher in 1997 at the Division II level. It also gave Gibson 53 RBI this season, breaking the old Division I record set by Zangari in 1999 and matched by Jeff Mainetti in 2007.
Poulin's six strikeouts gave him 80 this season, moving him past Thomas Jankins (79) and into second place on Quinnipiac's all-time single-season list at the Division I level. The record of 81 is held by Chris Gloor, which he set in 2009.
If Monmouth loses its finale and Quinnipiac earns the No. 1 seed, it will open MAAC play on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. If the Hawks win their finale and earn the No. 1 seed, the Bobcats will open the postseason as the No. 2 seed on Thursday at 12 noon.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Jordan Silverman (2-4)
L: Enns, Chris (0-5)
Batting:
2B: Cruz, Anthony 1 ; Saporito, Julius 1
HR: Gibson, Ben 1
RBI: Gibson, Ben 4 ; Vulgamore, Evan 1 ; Cruz, Anthony 2 ; Bender, Colton 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Marrero, Andre 1 ; Moskey, Brian 2 ; Gibson, Ben 2 ; Vulgamore, Evan 1 ; Cruz, Anthony 1 ; Saporito, Julius 1
CS: Gibson, Ben 1
HBP: Marrero, Andre 1 ; Huscher, Kevin 1
Batting:
2B: Christian Estevez 1
HR: Jake Bender 1 ; Kyle Johnson 1
RBI: Joe Simone 2 ; Brennan McAllister 1 ; Jake Bender 2 ; Kyle Johnson 2 ; Riley Mihalik 1 ; Christian Estevez 3 ; Richie Tecco 2
SH: Brennan McAllister 1
SF: Joe Simone 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Brennan McAllister 1 ; Jake Bender 2 ; Harrison McClure 2 ; Kyle Johnson 3 ; Riley Mihalik 2 ; Christian Estevez 2 ; Richie Tecco 1 ; Dallas Clark 1
SB: Jake Bender 1 ; Christian Estevez 1 ; Richie Tecco 1
CS: Riley Mihalik 1
HBP: Joe Simone 1
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