By: Luke Glockenberg
Quinnipiac took the first game of its mid-week doubleheader 2-1 in eight innings in come-from-behind fashion. What could have been a disastrous first and fifth inning for Quininpiac starting pitcher Joseph Scaglione ended up not hurting the Bobcats at all. In both jams, Scaglione found himself facing bases loaded with only one out. In both situations he got a fly out for out No. 2 and then went on to strike out the next batter. During the middle innings,Scaglione looked poised. At one point, he retired 12 of 14 batters without allowing a hit.
First year coach John Delaney was impressed with his starter. “This is probably the best we have seen Joe pitch this year,” he said. “The way he attacked hitters was the best we have seen. Every pitch he made had a purpose behind it. He was throwing the ball and putting it out there. You can see the difference in how effective he can be and how he can produce and keep teams down from scoring.”
The sophomore concluded his day after tossing 5.2 innings. He yielded just two hits, an earned run, walked one, and struck out five. He earned a no-decision. Scaglione said his plan was relatively simple. “I was trying to get ahead of hitters and just stick to the approach that the coaches preach,” he said. The right-hander stuck with his fastball and slider for most of the afternoon.
After falling behind 1-0 in the sixth inning, Matthew Batten reached base and advanced to second on an error. Batten stole third and clean-up hitter Vincent Guglietti knocked him home to tie the game. In the bottom of the eigth, Batten stepped to the plate with runners on the corners. The sophomore ripped a walk-off RBI single to give the Bobcats the 2-1 win. “I was just looking for something up in the zone not on any particular pitch just looking to find a hole,” Batten said. “He left a slider that just hung and I was able to role one over and I found a hole. I was a little bit lucky but I was happy I was able to help the team.”
In Game 2, the floodgates opened for Quinnipiac as they tallied eight runs on nine hits to win 8-3 and sweep the series. Batten, Louis Iannotti, and Ben Gibson would all pick up RBI’s in a three-run first inning allowing. Freshman southpaw Charlie Murray found himself in some trouble in the third. After walking Kenny Hayden and Karson Canaday to begin the inning, Shawn Blake hit an two-RBI double off the top of the right field wall. Robert Hitt relieved Murray in the fourth inning and Albany would tie the score at three.
The rest was history for the Great Danes, as they wouldn’t score or even record a hit for the rest of the game. The Bobcats broke the game open in the bottom of the fifth. Quinnipiac scored five runs on four hits and was aided by three Albany errors. Scott Donaghue, Guglietti and Iannotti all recorded hits in the frame. With bases loaded, senior Brian Ruditys hit a two-RBI double to extend the lead to 8-3.
The win improves the Bobcats to 19-18 overall. The last time the Bobcats won at least 19 games was when first year head coach John Delaney was a junior at Quinnipiac in 2007. “ I just want to be successful,” Delaney said. “I want us to play the game the right way by playing fundamentally with a hard working attitude. The wins will come but it’s the style of play that these guys have and the commitment they want on the team that make it successful.”
The Bobcats look to continue their winning ways this weekend when they host Marist. The first pitch of Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for noon.
