Photo Courtesy Quinnipiac Athletics
By: M.J. Baird
Quinnipiac softball hosted a doubleheader that brought life and celebration to campus on Sunday afternoon. The Quinnipiac Bobcats hosted the Iona Gaels in a MAAC matchup with serious playoff implications, and senior day honors.
The Bobcats sat seventh in the conference standings heading into the matchup, and the Gaels in ninth.
Quinnipiac honored its five seniors, Abby Johnson, Molly Jarrett, Sydney Robey, Katie Stron, Dani Edmands and its manager, prior to the game.
“What has been really remarkable about them (seniors) is their immediate buy-in,” the third-year head coach Jill Karwoski said. “That trust is something that we are building on.”
In Game 1, Robey started on the mound and went the distance. She pitched a complete game to earn her eighth win of the season.
“Her balls are breaking just a little bit sharper and she is keeping that tight spin,” Karwoski said. “That is giving her a lot of confidence,”
Iona jumped out to an early lead in the second inning due to a handful of errors committed by the Quinnipiac outfield. But, a Bobcat comeback evened the score at one in the third, where it stayed until the final inning.
In the top of the seventh, Iona capitalized. Gaels pinch hitter Kelsey Long singled up the middle and then stole second. Sarah Schutz followed and hit a single to centerfield that, with help from a Keilani Finely misthrow, brought Long home.
With no outs in the inning it appeared as if Iona could open the floodgates and take a commanding lead, but Robey locked in and forced three straight outs.
The Bobcats went into the bottom half chasing one run, but the bottom third of the lineup was due up.
Freshman reserve Rebecca Drake walked, putting the tying run on base. Sarah Heimbach drew her second free base of the day, taking a Carly Argyle pitch off the elbow.
With the winning run aboard, enthusiasm from the Bobcats dugout heightened each time Iona failed to seal an out. Freshman Taylor Troyan came in as a pinch-hitter for Quinnipiac, laying down a perfectly placed bunt down the first base line. Not only did Troyan advance the two base runners into scoring position, she reached on the play.
Sophomore Miranda Magana doubled down the left field line, scoring two, and giving Quinnipiac the walk-off victory, moving one game closer to a .500 record in the MAAC.
Karwoski called Magana a “spark plug” at the plate. “This team has fight and they have desire and they see the (conference) tournament within their reach,” she said.
Magana, however, was the only Bobcat to come away with more than one hit in Game 2 of the doubleheader, which was an unlike story.
Iona came out ready to play in Game 2, leading off with a bunt single from shortstop Katie Newton. Newton later scored in the top half of the first frame to put Iona on top.
The Gaels never looked back, scoring seven runs over the course of seven innings.
Kristen Turner added to the flurry of Iona hits in fifth inning. She took a pitch to deep to right field over the fence for her team leading eighth homerun of the year.
Despite leaving runners on base multiple times throughout the seven innings, Quinnipiac was unable to plate a run against Iona’s Christine Costello.
“All along, the past two weeks really, the theme has been hitting,” Karwoski said. “It proved today. If we aren’t hitting, we aren’t going to win. We need to figure out our hitting bug.”
Costello threw a complete game shutout, allowing only eights hits and one walk. She also struck out three batters.
The Bobcats return to action Tuesday April 26 in Worcester, Mass. against Holy Cross for a non-league matchup.
