Bobcats’ Historic MAAC Tournament Run Ends in Extra Innings Against Iona

Friday, May 8

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

9:00 AM

Quinnipiac University

23-20

Fairfield

27-24

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

Softball Pregame Huddle vs Fairfield in MAAC Tournament (May 8, 2026 in Poughkeepsie, NY)

Photo by: Farrah Chernov

Bobcats’ Historic MAAC Tournament Run Ends in Extra Innings Against Iona

5/8/2026 11:15:00 PM | Softball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Box Score 3

POUGHKEEPSIE, NY – The Quinnipiac softball team went 2-1 at the MAAC Tournament on Friday, earning back-to-back victories over No. 2 Fairfield and No. 4 Sacred Heart before falling to No. 3 Iona in extra innings. The Bobcats secured the most MAAC Tournament wins in program history under head coach Hillary Smith with three consecutive postseason victories.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Game One vs. Fairfield
Ally Hochstadter gave QU an early lead in the second inning, launching her second collegiate home run to put the Bobcats ahead 1-0. Aryn Bombery followed later in the inning with a two-run blast to extend the lead to 3-0.

OUR FIRST HOME RUN OF THE DAY 💣🔥

📺 https://t.co/6ItISt7IVx #MAACSB x @QU_Softball pic.twitter.com/xsaZdQvhzE
— MAACSports (@MAACSports) May 8, 2026

Fairfield answered with a solo home run in the third, but QU added two insurance runs in the sixth. Caelin Kosvitch recorded her first hit and RBI as a Bobcat with an RBI single before a Stags throwing error made it 5-2.

CAELIN!

She ropes one to left and adds insurance in the sixth.#BobcatNation x #MAACSoftball pic.twitter.com/bquxPOyp8g
— Quinnipiac Softball (@QU_Softball) May 8, 2026

The Stags added a run in the bottom half of the inning, but the Bobcats held on to eliminate the No. 2 seed and advance in the tournament.

Shannon Kendall earned her 16th win of the season, tossing her 16th complete game while allowing two runs on six hits and striking out four.

Game Two vs. Sacred Heart
QU struck first in the opening inning as Riley Potter delivered an RBI single to make it 1-0 Bobcats.

Sacred Heart responded with three home runs across the second and third innings to take a three-run lead.

The Bobcats answered in the fifth when Ally Hochstadter hit her second home run of the day, a game-tying three-run shot.

Ally Hochstadter TIES THE GAME 🚀 pic.twitter.com/9BHUjXfODA
— Quinnipiac Softball (@QU_Softball) May 8, 2026

QU regained the lead in the sixth on a sacrifice fly from Kennedy DeMott that brought home Sofia Vega. Hochstadter capped off a four-RBI performance later in the inning with an RBI single to help secure the 6-4 victory.

Demott helps us regain the lead with the sac fly to right field! 😤 pic.twitter.com/Wz2zhCud1f
— Quinnipiac Softball (@QU_Softball) May 8, 2026

Shannon Kendall earned her 17th win of the season in relief, tossing three innings while allowing three hits and striking out one.

Game Three vs. Iona
Iona jumped out to an early 4-0 lead behind three home runs in the opening inning.

The Bobcats sparked their offense in the fifth inning with five consecutive hits, starting with a leadoff hit by Kinsley Cox. Riley Potter delivered a two-run single to cap off an eight-RBI day before Kennedy DeMott added an RBI single to cut the deficit to 4-3.

Potter drives in a pair to get us on the board! pic.twitter.com/94CJPncEqJ
— Quinnipiac Softball (@QU_Softball) May 8, 2026

The Gaels added another run on an RBI groundout in the bottom half of the inning, but QU answered again in the sixth. Mary Fogg lined her third triple of the season to bring the Bobcats within one before later scoring on a wild pitch to tie the game at 5-5.

WE'RE TIED in Poughkeepsie! 👏

Mary Fogg beats the shift to make it a one-run game, then she scores on a wild pitch! pic.twitter.com/BLGJLb7lGQ
— Quinnipiac Softball (@QU_Softball) May 8, 2026

Neither team scored in the seventh, sending the game to extra innings, where Iona secured a walk-off victory to advance to the MAAC Championship against Marist.

Quinnipiac closed out a historic season with its deepest postseason run since joining the MAAC.

SCORE
QU 5, Fairfield 2
QU 6, SHU 4
QU 5, Iona 6 (8 innings)

STATS & NOTES

The Quinnipiac softball team finished with a 24-21 overall record, securing its first winning season since 2012.
The Bobcats set a new program record with 16 MAAC wins.
QU earned three consecutive MAAC Tournament victories for the first time in program history and the first under Hillary Smith.
Sofia Vega went 11-for-17 (.647) on the weekend, recording four doubles, one home run, four RBI, and five runs scored.
Vega closed out her senior season with team and career highs in batting average (.423) and OPS (1.063). She also posted career bests in hits (60), runs scored (36), doubles (9), and tied her career high in triples (4).
Vega recorded 20 multi-hit games this season and finished the year on a six-game hitting streak after back-to-back multi-hit performances against Sacred Heart and Fairfield.
Kennedy DeMott recorded a career-best 42 RBI this season and finished the year on a 12-game hitting streak.
Ally Hochstadter hit the second and third home runs of her collegiate career in back-to-back games, driving in five RBI and scoring two runs in Friday's contests.
Noelle Reid tallied her fifth multi-hit game of the season against Fairfield.
Aryn Bombery registered her fourth multi-hit performance of the season against Fairfield, hitting her third home run of the year and scoring two runs.
Riley Potter went 5-for-11 (.455) in Friday's games, recording a double, three RBI, and one run scored. Across the weekend, Potter batted 7-for-16 (.438) with two doubles, one home run, eight RBI, and three runs scored.
Mary Fogg recorded two three-hit games over the weekend, going 8-for-21 with a double, triple, two RBI, and six runs scored.
Shannon Kendall finished the season with a 17-15 record and a 4.42 ERA across a season and career-high 174.1 innings pitched. Kendall recorded 60 strikeouts, including 13 during the MAAC Tournament.