The Quinnipiac softball team went to bed Saturday night after dropping their first two home games of the season. They were right back to it and faced off against the same two teams in the Hartford Hawks and the Maine Black Bears on Sunday.

Despite Quinnipiac’s struggling start to the season there have been a few positives in the bats in the middle of its lineup as well as a pitching staff that continued making noise into the games on Sunday.

Of the eight runs scored on Saturday throughout the two games, junior Lala Pascual was responsible for six of them. In the later game, sophomore Kayla Thomas hit her team-leading fourth home run of the season.

The Bobcats found different answers in their 3-2 comeback victory against Maine on Sunday morning. Two hits from Bridget Nasir and Gianna Palmisano helped to give Quinnipiac its first home win of the year.

In the second game, the Bobcats fell short and lost to the Hawks by a score of 4-0 as Hartford starter Juliana Kocenski threw a complete game shutout and Quinnipiac really couldn’t get anything going with the bats.

However, the offensive side was not the biggest takeaway from Sunday’s games for the Bobcats. Jaclyn Gonzalez played a major relief role in both contests. In the first game, Gonzalez received the win after pitching four innings and only allowing two hits, which came in her last inning of work.

She was even more impressive in the Hartford game, coming out of the bullpen in the third inning and went the distance only allowing a single hit and no runs.

“From a pitching standpoint, focusing on a little bit more of moving the ball,” Quinnipiac assistant coach Mandie Perez said. “Not necessarily hitting the white of the plate.”

Overall, the Bobcats were much more impressive on Sunday on the defensive side of the ball. They gave up a crucial 17 runs throughout the two games on Saturday. On Sunday, they allowed just six.

“We just have to bear down a little bit more when it comes to our defense,” Perez said. “Just play a little bit smoother and a little bit more of our game.”

The Bobcats will be back in action in New Britain on Wednesday when they face off against the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils.