By Morey Hershgordon
An uncharacteristic day for the Quinnipiac baseball team got even worse in Game 2 of Saturday’s doubleheader at Rider University. Sophomore pitcher Matt Oseja, who has been battling injuries the entire season, left the game when he appeared to re-injure his throwing shoulder. The southpaw is one of just three left-handers on the roster and played an integral role in last seasons success and fourth-place finish in Quinnipiac’s inaugural year in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference. First year head coach John Delaney didn’t say much afterwards. “We’ll evaluate that tonight and see how he feels tomorrow morning.”
Quinnipiac looked lackluster for the majority of the afternoon. It left nine runners on base including six in scoring position in a 4-2 loss in Game 1. In Game 2, nothing changed. It recorded only three hits and was blanked 9-0. Entering the weekend second in the MAAC with a .301 team batting average, Delaney was disappointed with his team’s offensive mindset. “The approaches offensively were not very good,” he said. “Taking bad swings at hitter pitches and looking like we’re guessing at the plate and not playing with our approaches that have gotten us to this point.”
The Bobcats fall to 24-23 overall and 14-9 in the MAAC. It is only the third time this season and the first since March 8 that they have lost consecutive games on the same day. Despite the setback, they sit in third place and have locked up a playoff spot. On the other hand, the Broncs improved their record to 25-18 overall and jumped into first place with a 13-4 record in MAAC play. They also clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2012. My three takeaways from the day are below.
Quinnipiac’s youth showed
The upstart Bobcats have enjoyed a long season of success thus far, but ran into a more experienced Broncs squad. Quinnipiac entered the weekend with a chance to win its first MAAC regular season championship and first conference championship since 2007, but failed to do so. Its starting pitchers, who combined to throw eight and one-third innings, walked five Rider hitters. Mix in a hit batter, a balk and impatience at the plate, and the usual jovial, optimistic bunch looked like it just left a Chemistry final, not a ball field.
“Anyone that’s a freshman or sophomore, they’re still learning the game a little bit,” Delaney admitted. “Those big situations are going to be more pressure situations for those younger kids versus kids that are seniors.”
Rider is the real deal
The Rider roster is loaded with experience. Whether it be pitching, hitting, or fielding, the Broncs knew the stakes this weekend and cashed in two huge wins. Zach Mawson and Nick Margevicius, Rider’s starters, combined to throw 13 and one-third innings yielding just two earned runs while striking out ten. Their bullpen aided them as well contributing two and two-thirds innings allowing one hit and striking out three. Offensively, older hitters picked up the slack for teammate Justin Thomas. The senior, first baseman, who entered the weekend hitting .314, was held to just 1-for-6 on the day. His teammate Greg Fazio went 2-for-4 with a run batted in during Game 1 and James Locklear delivered a monster second game going 3-for-3 with two runs batted in, a walk and a run scored. The senior and junior, respectively, exuded poise at the dish that paid major dividends.
Quinnipiac still has a lot to look forward to
Quinnipiac will head back home for one last series against non-conference opponent NJIT. The Bobcats and Highlanders will play a pair of back-to-back doubleheaders on Friday, May 15 and Saturday, May 16 to conclude the regular season. Getting back to its winning ways, the skipper wants to win regardless of the opponent. “We’ll still throw the same guys out there even though it’s a non-conference weekend,” Delaney said. “We’re still going to play it like it’s a conference weekend and those games are just as important.” Depending on the outcomes of other conference games during that weekend, Quinnipiac will head to Dutchess Stadium in Fishkill, New York to open the MAAC tournament on either Wednesday, May 20 or Thursday, May 21.
As for Sunday, Quinnipiac will wrap up its second season in the MAAC. First pitch is scheduled for Noon. Delaney will make sure his team does all it can do to head back to Hamden with a win. “Even though today wasn’t a good day, the season has been a positive season,” he said. “The biggest thing is we have to come out here [tomorrow] with at least one win. We can’t get swept in our last conference weekend.”
