Golf doesn't budge, finishes ninth

Golf doesn’t budge, finishes ninth

By Brian Farrell, QBSN Staff Writer

The days change, but the overall standings never did for the Bobcats this weekend at Dayton Beach. Quinnipiac finished the NEC Championship tournament in ninth place.

“These ladies have worked harder than I ever expected and deserve a great deal of credit the way they carry themselves and represent Quinnipiac,” head coach John O’Connor said. “I couldn't be prouder of them. Every day it seems as if they know they are setting the standard for hard work for all future women's golfers at Quinnipiac.” 

The same storyline also continued through all three days with temperatures in the mid to high 80s and with Kayla Ketcheson leading the Bobcats.

Today, Ketcheson had her best round of the weekend shooting an 80 (40-40, +8). After shooting an 82 on Friday and Saturday, Ketcheson was able to string together a bit more consistency today. Ketcheson’s round three was the first round all weekend where she did not double bogey at least one hole.

Hannah Russell once again finished second on the team, shooting an 87 (42-45, +15). Russell was the only Bobcat today with a birdie.

Nicole Ferretti continued her improvements again today shooting a weekend best 90 (46-44, +18). Today’s round is a two stroke improvement from day two and a five stroke improvement from day one.

After struggling yesterday, Jen Forlenza also shot a 90 (46-44, +18). After shooting a 99 yesterday, Forlenza improved nine strokes, including six pars.

Amanda Nagel never could hit her stride today and ended the day with a 92 (44-48, +20).

Nagel and Ferretti are the only two seniors that competed for Quinnipiac in the tournament. With just three seniors and an exciting recruiting class ready for next season, the future looks promising for more improvements.

Second day leaves Bobcats in ninth

Second day leaves Bobcats in ninth

By Brian Farrell, QBSN Staff Writer

Through round two of the Northeast Conference Championships, Quinnipiac sits at ninth place.

The heat is still quite fierce in Daytona Beach with temperatures still in the mid-80s.

“Carrying your golf bag for four days of high pressure golf in mid to high eighty-degree weather while trying to focus on every shot is no easy task,” head coach John O’Connor said.

The Bobcats entered today’s action in ninth place and 17 strokes back of Robert Morris.

Kayla Ketcheson led the way again for the Bobcats shooting an 81 (40-41, +9). Her 81 is a one stroke improvement from day one.

Freshman Hannah Russell shot another 85 today (43-42, +13). Russell had eight pars on the day, including a string of four in six holes.

Amanda Nagel stayed consistent matching her day one score of 89 (46-43, +12). Nagel was able to pick up four pars on the afternoon.

Nicole Ferretti improved three strokes between day one and day two after shooting a 92 today (44-48, +12). Ferretti struggled on her first three holes of the day, but was able to avoid any more double bogeys after her fifth hole.

Jennifer Forlenza struggled on the second day shooting a 99 (48-51, +27) after shooting an 88 on day one.

The Bobcats’ final tee off is set for 9 a.m. tomorrow.

Golf finishes ninth after first day of championships

Golf finishes ninth after first day of championships

By Brian Farrell, QBSN Staff Writer

Through round one of the Northeast Conference Championships, the Bobcats sit at ninth place 17 strokes back of Robert Morris and Central Connecticut, knotted up for seventh place.

After yesterday’s practice round, coach John O’Connor said that the team was as ready as they have ever been.

“[Kayla Ketcheson]’s practice round included four birdies, and it seemed effortless,” O’Connor wrote in an email Thursday night.

Ketcheson shot a team-high 82 (42-40, +10). Her strongest portion of the round came on the back nine when she shot four straight pars. Ketcheson also led the team with two birdies, both coming on the front nine.

Hannah Russell made her return today after missing the last two tournaments and finished three strokes back of Ketcheson with an 85 (43-42, +13). Russell is the only freshman competing in the NEC Championships for Quinnipiac. Russell’s lack of experience showed when she bogeyed or double bogeyed each of the last four holes. Nonetheless, something should be said for a freshman that can finish just three stokes back of the team leader.

Nagel made what O’Connor described as a “slight swing change” that has given her better yardage. Nagel, one of just two Quinnipiac golfers returning to the NEC Championships, shot an 89 (43-46, +17) today.

Jennifer Forlenza, the other returning Bobcat, finished one stroke ahead of Nagel with an 88 (44-44, +15). Forlenza’s consistent score came thanks to a pair of pars on the fifth and sixth holes of the afternoon.

Nicole Ferretti ended the day with a 95 (44-51, +23). Ferretti ran into some trouble at the end of the front nine, but did pick up a par on the sixth hole of the afternoon.

“We are constantly talking about our course management,” O’Connor said.  “Nicole is like a sponge just anxious to get better and better, and I’m confident she will put together at least on if not more very special rounds this weekend.”

Tomorrow’s tee time is also set for 9 a.m.

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Golf team ready for NEC Championships

Golf team ready for NEC Championships

By Brian Farrell, QBSN Staff Writer

The weather in Hamden is frightful, but the weather in Daytona Beach is absolutely delightful.

John O’Connor’s squad is used to playing in sub-par conditions, no pun intended, so playing in such beautiful weather will actually be a change of pace for the Quinnipiac women’s golf team when it travels to Florida this weekend for the Northeast Conference Championships.

While the last two tournaments have not gone exactly the way the Bobcats would have liked, the team is making changes for the biggest tournament of the season.

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

“We had a lot of putts,” O’Connor said referencing the team’s play at the Roar-EE Invitational and Hartford Invitational. “What we want to do is cut down on our three putts. Three putts are something we still encounter and it’s something that we should never see, but we still do.”

“It’s tough at this time of the year to practice putting because the greens change week to week,” O’Connor said. “The grass is starting to grow better, the greens are faster, [and] you are up against a difference situation every week.”

Ever changing conditions will certainly be a challenge this week at the LPGA International at Daytona Beach with temperatures projected to be more than 30 degrees higher than in Hamden.

“They’re walking 72 holes in four days in 80 plus degree intense heat,” O’Connor said. “Eighty-four might not seem all that hot, but it’s sun on you all the time. You’ve got to be concerned with staying hydrated.”

Yet despite the weather projections, O’Connor is pleased with how the team has improved since its last tournament back on April 17.

“I would think we should play pretty well down there,” O’Connor said.  “Our short game has improved and for the most part our putting has improved.”

As always the team will look to junior Kayla Ketcheson to lead. Ketcheson recently changed drivers after O’Connor noticed some issues with the flight of her ball earlier this season.

 “She was using a driver where the loft was too high,” O’Connor said. “When we were at Brown … with the wind being so severe [and] the flight of her ball being too high cost her some distance. We now have her with a driver with a 10 ½ degree loft whereas her last driver was about a 14 degree loft.”

Joining Ketcheson this weekend will be Amanda Nagel, Nicole Ferretti, Jen Forlenza, and most notably, freshman Hannah Russell.

Russell is the Bobcats’ No. 2 golfer and will make her return this weekend after missing the last two invitationals due to an injury.

Nagel and Forlenza will provide the veteran leadership as they are the only two golfers for Quinnipiac that participated in last year’s NEC Championship.

 “We want record low rounds for everybody,” O’Connor said calmly. “This is what we’ve worked for all year long and I expect all the scores to be better than they have been.”

Being the hands on coach that O’Connor is, analysis of each day will be critical to overall tournament success.

“We will track greens in regulations, fairways hit, and number of putts and those are the three things that we will key in on this weekend.”

The tournament will begin at 9 a.m. on Friday, and you can follow Live Stats at www.quinnipiacbobcats.com 

Athlete of the Week: Heather Schwartzburg

Athlete of the Week: Heather Schwartzburg

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

Heather Schwartzburg’s (Mission Viejo, Calif.) presence on the mound for Quinnipiac (26-15, 10-6 NEC) this season has been synonymous with untouchable pitching.  The senior ace pitched two complete games against Robert Morris for 14 innings on April 21 and added a win coming in as a relief pitcher later in the week against Hartford. 

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

In the doubleheader against the Colonials, Schwartzburg pitched two gems but only picked up a win in the second game.  One unearned run and a lack of run support in the first game of the day made the difference as the Bobcats dropped the game, 1-0.  Despite taking only her fifth loss of the season, Schwartzburg tied up six hitters and gave up just four hits. 

After surrendering a solo shot in the fourth inning, the Bobcat bats came out ready for the latter half of the day, putting three runs up on the board.  The two run lead was more than enough for Schwartzburg to work with as she led the Bobcats to a 3-1 victory.  Schwartzburg struck out another six Colonials and allowed only two hits on the way to her 15^th win of the season. 

Just days later on April 25, with one out in the sixth inning, Schwartzburg relieved Katie Alfiere (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and finished out the game. In her short time on the mound, Schwartzburg gave up one run and one hit, but struck out five including the three she caught looking to retire the side and end the game. 

With her performances in the week that was, the Bobcat pitcher boasted her personal record to 16-5.  She leads the team substantially in almost every statistical category, giving up a season total of 90 hits and 34 earned runs while striking out 168 batters in 152.2 innings of work.  Christy Cabrera (West Sacramento, Calif.) is second on the team with 36 strikeouts in 65.1 innings. 

The Bobcats, nearing the finish of the regular season, will rely on Schwartzburg’s precision on the mound to slide them past the competition of postseason play.  

No. 1 seed slips away from women's lacrosse

No. 1 seed slips away from women’s lacrosse

By: Taylor Massey QBSN Staff Writer

           

As the rain moved in, the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team was washed out by the Bryant Bulldogs. In their final game of the regular season the Bobcats lost to the Bulldogs by a mere two points, falling 8-6.

The Bulldogs burst onto the field scoring five unanswered goals in the first nine minutes of the game. The Bobcats defense appeared weak allowing several Bulldog players to break through to the goal. Senior goaltender Noelle Martello (Westbury, N.Y.) started the game, but was switched with Samantha Tilts (Port Washington, N.Y.) after the fifth goal.

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.) finally got the Bobcats in the game with the first goal. The freshman has proved to be a key player for the Bobcats. Ochwat is second on the team in goals with 31 goal points. Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.) recorded an assist on the goal.

After another Bryant goal, Quinnipiac kicked it into gear with a three goal streak started off by the team of Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) and Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.). They cut Bryant’s 6-1 lead in half with back-to-back goals by Caroleo and the assists going to Allen. Caroleo is three points away from breaking the all-time points record while Allen is three assists away from the all-time assist record.

Lauren Sheridan led the Bulldogs to a win, earning a hat trick in the first half of the game. Katherine Keckeisen also contributed two goals to their eight-goal total. All but one of Bryant’s goals was made unassisted.

The scoring slowed down in the second half with each goalie making vital saves. Tilts made seven saves in her time in the net, only allowing one goal in the second half. Even with defense stepping up later in the game, it wasn’t enough to take over the Bulldogs.

Post-season begins next weekend, and the Bobcats will need to work on few aspects of their game. Quinnipiac will need to come out on the field with a lot more intensity in order to succeed in the playoffs.

“If we can’t play 60 minutes, we’ve got no business winning a game,” said head coach Danie Caro. “That’s something we’ve got to work on for next weekend.”

Quinnipiac drops to 7-2 in the NEC and 8-7 overall while Bryant improves to 5-4 in conference and 6-10 overall. As the No. 2-seed in the NEC, the Bobcats will head to Fairfield, Conn. next weekend to take on the No. 3-seed Monmouth.

Softball splits doubleheader with Robert Morris

Softball splits doubleheader with Robert Morris

By Giovanni Mio, QBSN Staff Writer

The Quinnipiac softball team split a doubleheader with the Robert Morris Colonials, losing the first game 1-0 and winning the second 3-1 Saturday at the QU softball field.

Robert Morris (29-19, 13-5 NEC) scored the only run of the first game off of a throwing error by the Bobcats’ shortstop Alex Alba (Sylmar, Calif.) in the top of the fourth. That was all the Colonials needed as freshman pitcher Nicole Sleith pitched seven innings of three-hit ball.

The Bobcats (24-15, 10-6 NEC), who have avoided being swept in a doubleheader all season, continued that streak by winning the second game. Quinnipiac trailed 1-0 in the fourth once again, after Colonial senior Jaci Timko hit a home run that bounced off the scoreboard. The Bobcats answered by scoring two runs in the bottom of the inning, one that was off a wild pitch.

“I think our team does a very good job of staying in the game,” said head coach Germaine Fairchild.

Schwartzburg pitched both games and gave up no earned runs. She lowers her ERA to 1.54 on the season and has 163 total strikeouts.

“Last week was the first weekend I pitched two games in a day this season,” said Schwartzburg. “I knew I could do it, and coach knows I’ll go until she tells me to stop.”

Quinnipiac faced two left-handed pitchers in Sleith and sophomore Geena Badolato. This was the third time the Bobcats faced a left-handed pitcher all season.

“In the sport of fast pitch softball, if you have a left-handed pitcher, you do have a bit of an advantage,” said Fairchild.

With the two-game set against St. Francis (Pa.) postponed, the next game for the Bobcats is a doubleheader at Hartford on Wednesday.  The first pitch is set for 2:30 p.m.

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Women's lacrosse crushes late-game surge

Women’s lacrosse crushes late-game surge

By: Taylor Massey, QBSN Staff Writer

           

In the first of its final two regular season games, the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team took on Northeast Conference foe Central Connecticut. Aiming to end the season strong, the Bobcats proved they came to play. After holding a consistent lead throughout the game, the Bobcats ended the game halting a comeback by the Blue Devils and winning 14-11.

           

The Bobcats immediately took control of the game winning, the opening draw and following it up with a goal by Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) seconds later. This was only the first of five goals that Caroleo would score to lead the Bobcats to victory.

           

Extending their lead was easy coming off the consecutive draw control wins by Devon Gibney (Hopkinton, Mass.). During the game Gibney managed to break the single-season draw control record with 143 wins, surpassing her own record of 47 that she set last year. The Bobcats were able to capitalize on the many opportunities that Gibney offered them.

           

Quinnipiac’s 14 goals were spread out among seven different Bobcats. Michaela Tinsley (Shrewsbury, Mass.) had a big game, recording a hat trick. In the eyes of head coach Danie Caro, this diverse scoring team is a great advantage.

           

“It makes me really proud,” said Caro of the full team effort. “We have a tough team to scout for our opponents because if you shut any one player down there’s five or six others that can step up and have a big game.”

           

Goals aren’t the only thing that can give a player a big game. Sarah Allen (Glastonbury, Conn.) has been a huge force on assists this season for the Bobcats. She tallied her 100^th earlier this season and is now on her way to breaking the all-time assist record. Against the Blue Devils, she had a game-high of one goal and five assists.

           

The Bobcats’ well-rounded team commanded the first half of the game before allowing the Blue Devils to gain momentum. In the final minutes of the second half, the Blue Devils made three stunning goals to bridge the gap in scoring. Meaghan McCurry led Central with five goals matching Caroleo. Ashley Perkoski also played a key for the Blue Devils with a goal and four assists.

           

However the Bobcats were able to hold onto their lead.  This gives them a strong boost of momentum for their final game of the season against the Bryant Bulldogs. This NEC match-up will help determine whether or not the Bobcats will have the home advantage going into the playoffs.

           

“It’s everything,” said Allen of having the home advantage. “It’s what we’ve been working for all season, and if we stick to our game plan like Danie said then I think we’ll be okay.”

           

Quinnipiac improves to 8-6 overall and 7-1 in conference play while Central Connecticut falls to 7-8 overall and 5-3 in conference. The Quinnipiac Bobcats take on the Bryant Bulldogs this Sunday, April 22 at 12 p.m. In their final NEC match-up of the season the Bobcats will fight for home advantage in the first round of playoffs.

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Tune in to Friday's broadcast of a baseball doubleheader between Quinnipiac and Bryant, starting at 12:50 p.m. The women's lacrosse game between the Bobcats and Central Connecticut can be heard by clicking here starting at 3:50 p.m.

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Athlete of the Week: Zak Palmer

Athlete of the Week: Zak Palmer

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

In a week that saw the Quinnipiac baseball team (6-28, 5-15 NEC) double the number in the win column with three victories and its coach make history, one player did more than his fair share to give the team enough motivation to end a 13-game losing streak that daunted it in the heart of its season.  Sophomore Zak Palmer’s (Mahwah, N.J.) performances in a nonconference match-up against Rhode Island and four games against NEC opponent Mount St. Mary’s earned him attention within the conference.  Palmer was named the Bobcats’ first NEC Baseball Player of the Week since Ben Farina won the honor the week of March 7, 2011.

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

The most substantial contribution Palmer had at the plate came in the first game against Mount St. Mary’s on April 13.  In the 17-3 win that pushed head coach Dan “Skip” Gooley into the 500-win club, Palmer proved himself unforgiving at the plate as the Mountaineers failed to retire him in any at-bat.  Going 5-for-5 and forcing a walk, the third baseman compiled a quarter of the team’s 20 hits.  In addition to his sheer ability to get on base, Palmer drove in two runs and scored just as many in the game.

Palmer put together 13 total hits, including four doubles on the week, giving him a batting average of .542 in the same timeframe.  His four doubles jumped his season total to five, having only one previous to this week.  Having sat out the game against Hartford on April 17, Palmer is riding a seven-game hitting-streak dating back to the April 7 loss at Monmouth. 

With a strong offensive week behind him, Palmer improved his season totals to 12 RBIs and 17 runs scored.  His 36 hits are good for second on the team, led only by captain Kyle Nisson (Wallingford, Conn.) with 40 on the season. 

Women’s tennis drops second straight

Women’s tennis drops second straight

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

The women’s tennis team dropped its second straight outing with a 6-1 loss against the University of Massachusetts Sunday afternoon.  The Bobcats drop to 7-11 with only one regular season match left to play against Fairfield on Tuesday.

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

In spite of two singles matches going into three sets, the Bobcats could only pull away with one win in the singles action.  Rachel Cantor (Short Hills, N.J.) defeated Yuliana Motyl in two sets in the No. 1 spot.  Cantor’s personal win puts her at 9-12 overall this season.

Freshmen standouts Michelle Dassa (Marlboro, N.J.) and Jacqueline Raynor (Garden City, N.Y.) both came close to capturing wins in the singles round, forcing tie breakers to decide the third set.  Neither would walk away one win richer, however.   

Cantor and partner Sarah Viebrok (Carmel, N.Y.) also continued their dominance in the doubles round with the only other Bobcat victory of the day.  The duo used to soaring over the competition boosted their record to 11-2 with the win over Motyl and Jocelyn Providence.  The other two Bobcat pairs could not follow suit. Dassa and Raynor gave way to Sonia Bokhari and Chanel Glasper in the No. 2 spot, and Lavinia Cristescu (West Hartford, Conn.) and Ariana Launie (Milton, Mass.) fell to Hazuki Onaga and Jessica Podlofsky in the No. 3 slot.

With their final match coming up, the Bobcats strive to end their short skid and head into the NEC Championships on a high note and as a threat to the rest of the conference. 

Fairfield defeats women’s lacrosse

Fairfield defeats women’s lacrosse

By: Taylor Massey QBSN Staff Writer

In its last non-conference game of the season, the Quinnipiac women’s lacrosse team let the Fairfield Stags run away with a win. The Bobcats nailed the first goal of the game early on, but soon after Fairfield took the lead and never looked back. The Stags held onto at least a one-goal lead throughout the game before pulling away with a six-goal difference. The afternoon came to an end with the Bobcats falling 11-5 to the Stags.

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

Lianne Toomey (Hicksville, N.Y.) was the first player on the board and the only Bobcat with a multiple-goal game. Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, N.Y.) was the only other Bobcat to have a multiple-point game, recording a goal and an assist. The two other Quinnipiac goals came from Kearney Sneath (Branford, Conn.) and Kyra Ochwat (Farmingdale, N.Y.).

Fairfield stole the game with a five-goal streak in each of the two halves. After the first streak, Quinnipiac answered back with three straight goals to close the gap. However after the second streak, the Bobcats were unable to make a come back.

Melanie Raso lead the Stags in goals, beating Bobcat goalie Samantha Tilts (Port Washington, N.Y.) three times. Jamie Leone also had a multiple-point game for the Stags, adding a goal and an assist.

Despite the loss, freshman goalie Tilts made a total of six saves for the Bobcats. Assistant coach Brittany Hauser commented on the talent of Tilts and fellow freshman Ochwat as they have progressed throughout the season.

 “We thought we’d give her the opportunity today and she did very well for us,” Hauser said about Tilts. “She’s very positive and she talks her defense very well.”

Ochwat has also proved to be a key player. She sits in fourth place on the team in points with a total of 34 this season off of 28 goals and six assists.

“She’s really working hard and stepping up her game and adjusting to what the other teams are doing and she’s doing what we want her to do,” said Hauser.

As the Bobcats enter into their final two conference games of the season against Central Connecticut State and Bryant University, they will be relying on these players to keep up their hard work.

Quinnipiac drops to 7-6 overall while Fairfield improves to 10-3. The Bobcats return to action on their home turf next Friday against Central Connecticut.

Softball splits doubleheader with Wagner

Softball splits doubleheader with Wagner

By Mark Spillane, QBSN Staff Writer

The Quinnipiac softball team could not pull off a clean sweep in a doubleheader against Wagner Saturday afternoon, dropping the first game 5-4, but came back out for the second game without holding back, winning 9-2.  The split makes for the fifth time the Bobcats have broken even in a doubleheader this season.  

Quinnipiac dropped game one of the doubleheader after sophomore Katie Alfiere (Beacon Falls, Conn.) was roughed up for three earned runs on five hits over 2.1 innings to start the game.

           

Senior Christy Cabrera (West Sacramento, Calif.) entered in relief of Alfiere and kept the Bobcats in it by giving up just one unearned run over three innings.

           

The Bobcats pushed a few of their own runs across the plate in the fourth inning.

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

Junior Alex Alba (Sylmar, Calif.) got the scoring started with a solo shot to lead off the inning. Alba’s fourth homerun of the season was followed by a walk to senior Mina Duffy (Piedmont, Calif.), and an RBI double by freshman Nikki Barba (San Diego, Calif.) to cut the Seahawks lead to 4-2 and drive Wagner starter, Samantha Bedker, from the game in favor of Judy Betz.

Quinnipiac was not done as Alfiere laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Barba to third. The very next at bat, junior Bridget Figmic (Stratford, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners for junior Kortney Kesses (Woodbridge, Conn.).

After Figmic stole second, Kesses hit a hard ground ball to shortstop, Kelsey Parker. Parker could not make the play, allowing Barba and Figmic to score on the error to knot the score at four. Three of the runs were charged to Bedker, with just one given to Betz.

Following a scoreless fifthninning, senior Heather Schwartzburg (Mission Viejo, Calif.) entered the game in relief after Cabrera allowed two batters to reach base. Schwartzburg promptly struck out two Seahawks to end the inning.

Both teams remained silent until the Seahawks solved Schwartzburg for a run in the ninth on a Brittany Huss walk and an Ashley Olson RBI single.

“Well the pitch was in a three-spot, but it dropped too late. She just got a hold of it,” Schwartzburg said of the single.

Unfortunately for the Bobcats, they remained stifled by Betz, as she tossed six innings of one hit ball, while striking out five and allowing no walks to earn the victory.  Schwartzburg lost just her fourth game of the year, but continued pitching at the start of game two.

With the Bobcats already up 5-0 in the first inning of game two of Saturday’s doubleheader, senior catcher Ashley Heiberger (Sioux Falls, S.D.) blasted her second home run of the season to put the game out of reach.

           

The three-run shot off the face of the scoreboard in straightaway centerfield gave the Bobcats a commanding 8-0 lead that they would never relinquish.

           

Quinnipiac chased Wagner both starter Olivia Zwick and Bedker from the game before either could record an out. The duo was tagged for a combined six earned runs on four hits and two walks.

           

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

Zwick took the loss as Ashley Rollins pitched the remaining six innings for the Seahawks.

           

Schwartzburg pitched three quality innings, but tired in the fourth before she allowed two earned runs and turned it over to Alfiere to record the final 11 outs. Alfiere bounced back from her game one struggles to hold Wagner scoreless and earn her sixth victory of the season.

Head Coach Germaine Fairchild said she knows the Bobcats will need to avoid splitting doubleheaders to really make some ground.

 “At some point we’re going to have to have one [sweep],” she said.  “At some point, we’re going to have to take it up a notch, and sweep somebody.”

             

With the split, Quinnipiac moved to 20-12 overall and 7-5 in the Northeast Conference. Wagner finished the day with a 15-27 overall record, including a 4-8 conference record. 

With her nine strikeouts on the day, Schwartzburg pushed her season total to 134, and her career tally to 891.

           

The Bobcats return to action tomorrow with a doubleheader against the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights. The first pitch of game one is scheduled for 12 p.m.

Men’s lacrosse loses first NEC game on senior day

Lacrosse loses first NEC game on senior day

By Giovanni Mio, QBSN Staff Writer

Five different Bobcats scored but Quinnipiac (3-8, 2-1 NEC) still lost its first conference game of the season to #19 Bryant (11-2, 3-0 NEC) 9-5 Saturday on senior day.

“I give our guys credit,” said head coach Eric Fekete. “On a day like this, our defense got tired, and we made some bad choice shots. I think we got desperate when we had possessions.”

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

The story of the game was the Bulldog defense. The Bobcats were unable to shoot all game, limited to 23 shots, 10 of which were last ditch heaves in the final minutes. Bryant goalie Jameson Love had six saves, while Quinnipiac’s Dylan Torey (Darien, Conn.) saved eight.

“One of the problems you have with a young team is the philosophical parts of the game,” Fekete said.  “Sometimes, young guys get a little impatient when they feel like they’re getting choked out of offense, and Bryant held the ball a lot.”

Bryant also outplayed Quinnipiac during the faceoffs, winning 12 of the 18 overall.  The Bulldogs managed to get 39 shots off.

“A lot of guys have a faceoff get off guy,” said Fekete. “Unfortunately, Dylan [Webster] does double duty for us since he’s a great attacker and a finisher, as well as facing off. During games like this, it has its disadvantages.”

Quinnipiac, who just played its last home game of the regular season, will play its next conference matchup at Robert Morris on April 21 at 2 p.m.

“They can definitely score, and we’re going to have to give a better scoring effort next game,” said Fekete.

Junior attacker Brendan Wilbur (Hingham, Mass.) scored the first goal of the game one and a half minutes in. Bryant then scored five unanswered to give it a 5-1 lead. Quinnipiac then scored three unanswered goals and trailed 5-4 at the start of the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs scored four straight in the fourth to give them a 9-4 and seal a win. 

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Offensive explosion gives Skip 500th win

Offensive explosion gives Skip 500^th win

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

After family and friends cleared the way, seniors Kyle Nisson (Wallingford, Conn.) and Chris Migani (Orange, Conn.) wasted no time in hoisting the water cooler over head coach Dan "Skip" Gooley in a long awaited celebration.  In a 17-3 victory over NEC opponent Mount St. Mary’s, Gooley earned his 500^th career win as a head coach.

 “We’ve been waiting to do that for a while,” Nisson said with a grin.

While the postgame bath was the cause of smiles around the dugout, the significance of the celebration was not lost on the manager.

“It seems that every hundred is special, and I was lucky enough to get to 500,” Gooley said.  “Maybe somewhere along the line I’ll be lucky enough to get to 501.”

Previous to today’s historic win, Gooley had been stuck on 499 wins the since Quinnipiac defeated Fairleigh Dickinson on March 23.  The Bobcats rode out a 13-game losing streak, dragging out Gooley’s milestone achievement.  In light of the anticipation, the players felt more weight than a regular season match-up.

“It felt like a championship game at the end when we got that last out,” Nisson said.

While the final out proved the Bobcats’ will, the opening pitches could have easily turned it the other way.  However, the explosiveness of the Bobcat offense and the dominant performance of Derek Lamacchia (Whitestone, N.Y.) on the mound quickly quieted the fears of dropping another game.

The Bobcats immediately jumped on the offerings from Mount St. Mary’s starter Karl Lamont.  Jesse Ullrich (Orange, Conn.) reached base on a fielder’s choice and after advancing to second base on a balk, came around to score the game’s first run to the tune of a Nisson single.  A batter later, Nic Civale (East Windsor, Conn.) drove in Nisson. 

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

The next frame only furthered the gap which Mount St. Mary’s would not close.  A bases loaded walk to Ullrich brought Forrest Dwyer (Wakefield, R.I.) home, followed by Vincent Guglietti’s (East Haven, Conn.) right field single that drove in Ullrich to give the Bobcats the 4-0 lead.  After a Nisson RBI single, Lamont was pulled for Chris Del Vecchio.  Despite the fresh arm, the Bobcat bats could not be stopped from driving in three more runs before the second inning was in the books.

Nisson paved the way for the Quinnipiac offense, going 5-for-6 on the day with four RBIs.  Sophomore Zak Palmer (Mahwah, N.J.) put together a statistical dream as he would not be retired. Palmer went 5-for-5, walked once and batted in two. 

While six of the runs scored off the bats of Nisson and Palmer, the rest of the lineup got in on the action.  Dwyer and Civale each earned three RBIs, Scott Donaghue (Marlboro, N.J.) knocked in two, and Ullrich, Guglietti and Mike Blumenthal (Dix Hill, N.Y.) had one apiece.

“The offensive boost was definitely big,” Lamacchia said of the run support.  “Hopefully we can keep that up throughout the weekend series and definitely give our hitters some confidence going into games further down the road.”

While Lamacchia praised the offensive end of the game, his performance held the outing together.  Lamacchia gave up three runs on seven hits, walked two, struck out eight and retired the first six batters he faced.  The only real trouble he faced was in the seventh when three players crossed the plate.  The win was Lamacchia’s first of the year, bumping his record up to 1-5.

The coinciding success of the offense, defense and the pitching has proved to be a point of difficulty for the Bobcats thus far this season, but Gooley was pleased by his team’s promising play.

“Today we just happened to put everything together,” Gooley said.  “It was great.”

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

All aspects of the game clicking for the Quinnipiac baseball team (4-26, 3-14 NEC) comes with great timing as this win serves as the first of a four game series against Mount St. Mary’s (11-25, 4-13 NEC).  The first pitch of Saturday’s doubleheader is scheduled for 1 p.m. 

“We’re looking to be able to turn it around and win again tomorrow,” Gooley said.  “Again, one game at a time.  One inning, one pitch at a time.”

As the sun sets on a day that Gooley and the Bobcats won’t soon forget, they know the task for the rest of the series is just to get that next win, and the skipper will cherish that one just as much as the one that propelled him to another milestone.

“They’re all special,” he said.  “Every individual game is special.”

Regardless of the meaning of each outing, Gooley can now say that 500 of those unique games shine far above the rest.  

Athlete of the Week: Kayla Ketcheson

Athlete of the Week: Kayla Ketcheson

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

It took only 79 strokes at the Brown Invitational on April 8 for junior Kayla Ketcheson (St. Andrews, Manitoba) to break the Quinnipiac women’s golf program’s single-round record.  Ketcheson essentially outshot herself, having broken her own record of 80 shots in a single-round.  She set the initial record at the ECAC Championship on Oct. 3, 2011.  The slim limbo below her previous score earns Ketcheson the QBSN Athlete of the Week honors. 

courtesy: quinnipiacbobcats.com

Ketcheson’s performance at the Brown Invitational led the way not only in the second day, but combined with her first day score of 88, she shot for 167.  This makes for a Quinnipiac tournament record and earned her a tie for 30^th place on the weekend. 

The team also saw significant improvements from the first to second day of the tournament, cutting 27 shots for the biggest day-to-day drop among the nine competing teams.  The Bobcats finished in ninth place, shooting 733 between the two days. 

The women’s golf team next hits the green on April 13 and 14 as part of the Roar-EE Invitational and again April 16 and 17 at the Hartford Invitational.  The amount of upcoming action not only gives the Bobcats an opportunity to lower their scores as a team but also for Ketcheson to take on her biggest competitor – herself.  

Women's golf pulls together in second season

Women’s golf pulls together in second season

By Brian Farrell, QBSN Staff Writer

Anyone that’s played golf, watched golf, or simply paused for a minute and considered the logistics of hitting a tiny ball into a cup-size hole hundreds of yards away, at least understands the difficulty of the sport.

Now add in New England courses that are still thawing from the winter with grass that is barely growing. Not to mention playing on a team that returns just three golfers from an inaugural season.

Welcome to Quinnipiac women’s golf.

Head coach John O’Connor and his squad live these conditions every day.

“Our spring season is really a difficult season,” O’Connor said. “We play in extremely cold weather pretty much the entire spring season. We are playing on grass that hasn’t been growing, that certainly hasn’t been cut yet … It’s not like you see on T.V.”

This is just the second season for Quinnipiac women’s golf after being added as a Division I sport in 2010.

On the field conditions are tough enough for O’Connor’s squad, but starting up a brand new team just before the fall season is even harder.

“Well last year we started so late that recruiting was next to impossible,” O’Connor said.

But that was last season. The Bobcats returned three golfers from last year, walk-ons Amanda Nagel, Jennifer Forlenza and Stacey Kmill and a whole new group of hard working players committed to improvement. The team welcomes a pair of freshmen, Hannah Russell and Erin Morton, transfer Kayla Ketcheson and walk on Nicole Ferretti. The team recently added Alessandra Screnci who has yet to compete this season.

The team’s steady improvement from the fall and spring stems from the experience and play of Ketcheson.

“I think she can be an all-conference golfer,” O’Connor said with confidence. “She is starting to get the feel of what it is like playing golf in the Northeast on these courses, and come conference time when we are down in Florida, I think she is going to be very strong.”

Improvement and progress are the future for Ketcheson, but for the rest of the team that time is now. Especially for O’Connor’s core group of Ketcheson, Nagel, Russell, Forlenza and Ferretti.

“The team is improving leaps and bounds,” O’Connor said. “I have five very good golfers that I am very happy with. Aside from Kayla and Hannah, the three walk-ons are very comfortable competing in Division I golf.”

With steady improvement the Bobcats are starting to hit their stride.

Last week at the Brown Invitational, the Bobcats improved 27 strokes between days one and two. Ketcheson shot a 79 to break the single-round school record of 80, a record she set back in October.

After an illness cut the Bobcats’ roster short, the team competed with just four golfers last weekend. In order for a team to score as a whole, the team must provide at least four golfers. Not to be discouraged, Ketcheson, Nagel, Ferretti and Forlenza put on one of the best performances in the team’s short history.

“We weren’t as nervous going into the second day,” Nagel said. “We said we’ve got nothing to lose, so why not give it all you’ve got and just stay focused.”

“We definitely played as a team the second day,” Ketcheson added. “Usually you take the four of the best five scores, but since there were only four of us, they all had to count.”

But swinging the club is only a fraction of the game.

“I think our mental game was easily the best it has ever been,” Ketcheson said about the tournament. “That is something we really want to take into this weekend.”

O’Connor, Nagel, and Ketcheson all agreed that course management is one of the biggest pieces to the team’s recent improvement.

“Don’t practice the shots you are good at,” Ketcheson said calmly.

“Coach has been putting us into situations in practice like putting your ball in a divot, or put yourself behind a tree, or a low shot,” Nagel said.

With another week of practice behind them, the Bobcats are ready to continue to make forward tracks with a pair of invitationals in the next five days.  On Friday and Saturday the Bobcats will travel to Suffern, N.Y. for the Roar-EE Invitational. Then the team will head to Hartford on Monday and Tuesday for the Hartford Invitational.

Stayed tuned to theqbsn.com for increased coverage of all things Quinnipiac golf.

Alba's late double sparks comeback win

Alba’s late double sparks comeback win

By Mark Spillane, QBSN Staff Writer

Junior shortstop, Alex Alba (Sylmar, Calif.) stepped to the plate with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning with her Quinnipiac Bobcats softball team (19-11, 6-4 NEC) trailing the University of Connecticut Huskies (17-15, 6-3 Big East) by the score of 4-2.

Alba delivered the hit of the game as she laced UConn starter Kiki Saveriano’s pitch into the left-centerfield gap to tie the game at four.  The shot knocked in junior Bridget Figmic (Stratford, Conn.) and senior Ashley Heiberger (Sioux Falls, S.D.), and put Alba into scoring position at second base with a double.

 “I was just trying to do my best to have a quality at-bat, and put my best swing on whatever I was going to swing at,” Alba said.

Best swing or not, it was good enough for the Bobcats today.

Figmic got the inning started by drawing a one-out walk, before Heiberger reached after being hit by a pitch. Then junior Kortney Kesses (Woodbridge, Conn.) advanced the two with a sacrifice bunt, setting up Alba for the hit.

Luckily for the Bobcats, Alba wasn’t done. With junior Lauren Salgado (Covina, Calif.) at the plate, Alba scampered to third base on a wild pitch. With the winning run on third base, Salgado smacked a hard ground ball to the shortstop, Emily O’Donnell. O’Donnell could not make the play as Salgado reached first on the error, and Alba scored to give the Bobcats a 5-4 lead.

Alba, typically Quinnipiac’s number three-hitter, batted leadoff today, and came through with her 15^th and 16^th RBI this season.

One Bobcat who was in her normal spot was senior ace-pitcher, Heather Schwartzburg (Mission Viejo, Calif.). Schwartzburg pitched all seven innings to get the win, but did not make it easy on herself. With the Bobcats up 5-4 heading into the seventh inning, the Huskies sent the top of their order to the plate.

Schwartzburg hit leadoff batter, Jennifer Ward, for the third time in the game to start the inning, and Ward promptly stole second base. With nobody out, and the tying run in scoring position, Schwartzburg struck out O’Donnell looking before getting Marissa Guches to line out to right field.

Ward then advanced to third base on a wild pitch, before Schwartzburg walked the Huskies cleanup hitter, Amy Vaughan. With the game on the line, Schwartzburg slammed the door shut by striking out Brittany Duclos to preserve the 5-4 victory.

With the win, Schwartzburg improved to 12-3 on the year and increased her season strikeout total by six to 125. Sophomore Katie Alfiere (Beacon Falls, Conn.) went 2-for-3 and scored twice to bump her average up to .257 on the year.

Quinnipiac coach Germaine Fairchild attributed the three hit batters to Schwartzburg’s attempts to get more break out of her screwball, but made it no secret that the in-state rivalry means something.

“Getting a game like this, like a UConn, a big school, you know there’s a lot of bragging rights riding on it, and to get a win gives us a ton of confidence going into the weekend,” she said.

This weekend the Bobcats get back out on the diamond against NEC competitors, Wagner on Saturday and Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. 

Men's and women's tennis defeat Pioneers

Men’s and women’s tennis defeat Pioneers

By Thomas Albanese, QBSN Staff Writer

The Quinnipiac men’s and women’s tennis teams both continued their winning streaks against Sacred Heart on Tuesday. The women’s squad ran past the Pioneers by a score of 6-1 while the men’s team just slipped past the Pioneers with a score of 4-3 on its senior day.

The women’s team dominated the entire match, taking two doubles matches and five singles, dropping one of each.

Quinnipiac won 8-5 in No. 1 doubles with Rachel Cantor (Short Hills, N.J.) and Sarah Viebrock (Carmel, N.Y.) defeating Kate Donnelly and Kristina Chao. The Bobcats’ No. 2 doubles Jacqueline Raynor (Garden City, N.Y.) and Michelle Dassa (Marlboro, N.J.) were also victorious with a score of 8-1, smashing Nicole Rydzewski and Kristin Legenza.

Each of the singles matches finished in two dominated sets. Raynor, Viebrock, and Dassa took No. 2, 3 and 4 singles respectively. Quinnipiac’s Ariana Launie (Milton, Mass.) and Lavinia Cristescu (West Hartford, Conn.), who made up the pair that lost in the doubles round, each won their singles matches. Launie won her match 6-1, 6-1 while Cristescu took her match 6-2, 6-0. Those victories sealed the 6-1 victory for the Bobcats, taking them to 7-9 overall with a 2-2 NEC record.

For the men, the narrow win improved the Bobcats to 7-8 overall and 3-2 in the NEC with two away non-conference opponents remaining on their schedule.

Senior James Kwei (Dedham, Mass.) continued his historic play with victories in both singles and doubles. Kwei and Andrew Weeden (Martinsville, N.J.) won their doubles match 8-4 over Logan Mohring and Jacob Miller of Sacred Heart. Kwei finished his day by defeating the Pioneer’s Justin Pagan 6-2, 6-0.

The Bobcats swept the Pioneers in all three doubles matches while singles matches, each team taking three wins. The other two singles victories came from Garrett Lane (Reading, Mass.) 6-4, 6-1, and Eric Ambrosio (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) 6-2, 6-2.

Sacred Heart’s three singles wins came from Chadd Sullo, Mohring, and Miller. They each needed to fight for their wins as they all completed the split for the Pioneers by winning in long, three-set matches.

The Quinnipiac men’s and women’s tennis teams will be back in action on Saturday, April 14 at Stony Brook.  The first serve is set for 12 p.m.