Bobcats Drop Both Games Of Doubleheader To Rider

Friday, March 22

Hamden, Conn.

12:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

5-13, 0-1

Rider

3-14, 1-0

Rider Broncs

Quinnipiac

Photo by: Kaylyn Terry

3/22/2024 9:00:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2

HAMDEN, Conn. – The Quinnipiac baseball team dropped both games of the doubleheader to the Rider Broncs to open MAAC play on Friday, March 22^nd.

The Bobcats will go to 5-14 to start the 2024 season, while Rider will improve to 4-14 in the campaign.

SCORE
Game One – Rider 11, Quinnipiac 3
Game Two – Rider 11, Quinnipiac 8

HOW IT HAPPENED

GAME ONE
After two scoreless innings, Rider struck for two runs in the top of the third inning as they blasted a two-run shot to take a 2-0 lead.

Rider held a 2-0 until the sixth inning where they exploded for six runs. The scoring got started on an RBI single with the bases loaded. The next batter got another run to score from a SAC fly, giving them a 4-0 lead. The Broncs continued to score as two runs came home on a single to center field before two more runs came in on a double down the right field line.

Quinnipiac got on the board in the bottom of the sixth inning as Keegan O'Connor scored Jared Zimbardo and CJ Willis on a double down the left field line to make it an 8-2 game. Later in the inning, Kyle Garbowksi forced a run down between first and second, which allowed O'Connor to score before Garbowski was tagged out to end the inning.

In the top of the 8^th inning, Rider scored their ninth run of the game from a hit-by-pitch with the bases loaded. Another run came in on a double play and the final run of the game crossed the plate on an RBI single up the middle.

GAME TWO
Rider got the first run of the second game as they scored in the first inning on an RBI single to right field.

The Bobcats struck right back as they scored three runs in the bottom half of the inning. Jared Zimbardo crossed the plate on a groundout from Kyle Garbowski. The very next batter was Christian Smith, and he blasted a two-run homer to give Quinnipiac a 3-1 lead.

SMITTY GOES YARD 🚀

Smith blasts a two-run homer to give us a 3-1 lead in the first!!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/8uYX1uPYNU
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) March 22, 2024

The back-and-forth game continued as Rider struck for five runs in the top of the second inning, highlighted by a grand slam with no outs. With two outs in the inning, the Broncs added another run in the inning from an infield single.

A sacrifice fly from Matt DeRosa scored Sean Swenson in the bottom of the second to bring the Bobcats within two.

The Broncs made it a 7-4 game in the top of the fourth inning off another RBI single to center field. Quinnipiac made it a one-run game in the bottom half of the inning as Sebastian Mueller launched a two-run homer to left center, making it 7-6.

WELCOME BACK BASH MAN!!

Mueller launches a two-run homer to make it a one-run game!!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/zwFD9ZbKfL
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) March 22, 2024

After the Broncs scored another run on a bases loaded hit-by-pitch to take a two-run lead, Braydon Seaburg stepped up to the plate with a runner on base and left the building, tying the game at 8 a piece.

WE. ARE. TIED.

Seaburg sends one over the wall to knot us up at eight!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/AwLfOp6aPh
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) March 22, 2024

With the game tied at eight in the top of the ninth inning, the Broncs blasted a three-run homer down the left field line to take an 11-8 lead and seal the win in the bottom half.

NEWS AND NOTES

Five different Bobcats recorded hits in game one and eight of the nine starters recorded hits in game two.
In game one, Keegan O'Connor delivered with two RBIs as he went 1-for-4 in the contest.
Jared Zimbardo and Christian Smith both went 3-for-5 in game two to lead the offense.
Smith drove in two runs from his two-run home run in the bottom of the first inning.
Sebastian Mueller came back into the lineup and went 2-for-4 and hit his first home run of the season.
Braydon Seaburg hit his first home run of the year as he knotted the game up at eight.
Kyle Garbowski and Matt DeRosa both recorded one RBI in the game two loss.
Matt Alduino came out of the bullpen in game two and pitched 3.2 innings, allowing just one run.