Athletes of the Week: Alex Alba, Mina Duffy, Katie Alfiere and Nikki Barba

Athletes of the Week: Alex Alba, Mina Duffy, Katie Alfiere and Nikki Barba

By Angelique Fiske, QBSN Publishing Editor

A first inning feat of statistical wonder courtesy of four power-hitting softball players against Sacred Heart University earns the girls the honor of Co-Athletes of the Week.  Alex Alba (Sylmar, Calif.), Mina Duffy (Piedmont, Calif.), Katie Alfiere (Beacon Falls, Conn.) and Nikki Barba (San Diego, Calif.) each homered in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader…in a row.  The quadruple bombs over the left field fence set a Quinnipiac record and matched the most consecutive home runs in NCAA Division I softball.

Alba led the girls off with a three-run shot, driving in Christy Cabrera (West Sacramento, Calif.) and Jacquie Ristow (Seal Beach, Calif.).  Duffy, Alfiere and Barba all followed with solo shots to give the Bobcats a 6-0 lead before the Pioneers could retire a single player.  Ultimately, Quinnipiac went on to win 12-7 in the first game and 5-4 later in the afternoon.

As strongly as the day started off, the girls did not falter.  Barba went yard again an inning later for an additional RBI.  Duffy went 4-for-7 between both games with two home runs and five runs batted in.  Four of her five RBIs came in the latter game of the doubleheader.  Alba added an RBI single and came home on Duffy’s second home run of the day.

On the other end, Alfiere earned the win, boosting her record to 4-2.  In four innings pitched, Alfiere gave up no runs, three hits and struck out one.  She also added a right field single in the fifth inning of the second game. 

The burst of offense in the first inning made for four of the seven Bobcat home runs on the day.  As astounding as four straight ringing of the bats is on its own, the girls know that something of this magnitude was needed as something more than a flashy statistic.  Previous to the Sacred Heart series, the Bobcats were no-hit by University of Massachusetts pitcher Sara Plourde. 

“It gives us a lot of confidence going into the rest of the conference games knowing that almost anyone on our team can hit multiple base hits,” Duffy said after the sweep.  “It’s a big boost for us.”

With the Sacred Heart sweep and a win at Fairfield on Wednesday, the 16-9 Bobcats will ride out the offensive momentum for as long as they can, even if the mini home run derby cannot be replicated.  If it is, expect Robinson Cano lurking on campus looking for hitting tips.