Softball Hosts NEC Games Against Fairleigh Dickinson On Tuesday, Travels To Stony Brook On Wednesday

Quinnipiac University (25-20, 9-5 NEC) vs.
Fairleigh Dickinson University (22-19, 6-8 NEC)
Tuesday, April 26, 2011 - 3:00 p.m. (DH)
Quinnipiac Softball Field - Hamden, Conn.

Quinnipiac University (25-20, 9-5 NEC) at
Stony Brook University (15-24, 3-9 America East)
Wednesday, April 27, 2011 - 3:00 p.m. (DH)
University Field - Stony Brook, N.Y.

Quinnipiac Plays Two Doubleheaders
The Quinnipiac University softball team (25-20, 9-5 NEC) hosts Northeast Conference opponent Fairleigh Dickinson (22-19, 6-8) in a doubleheader on Tuesday, April 26 starting at 3 p.m. The Bobcats will then play a pair of non-conference games at Stony Brook (15-24, 3-9 America East) on Wednesday, April 27 beginning at 3 p.m. In its most recent outings, Quinnipiac split a NEC twinbill with Sacred Heart on Friday, April 22.

Follow Your Bobcats Live
Live stats for this week's games will be available by clicking on the appropriate links on the official website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com. Live audio for Tuesday's doubleheader will be provided by QBSN.

Scouting Fairleigh Dickinson
Fairleigh Dickinson enters Tuesday's games at 22-19 on the year and with a 6-8 mark in NEC action. In their most recent outings, the Knights dropped a pair of non-conference games to Fordham, 8-0 and 18-0, on Thursday, April 21. Knights' sophomore pitcher Maire Shaughnessy holds an 8-6 record this year and has appeared in 106 innings while leading the Knights with a 2.11 ERA. In addition, Junior pitcher Caitlin Bradac has compiled a team-high 94 strikeouts and a 10-5 record this season. Bradac also leads Fairleigh Dickinson with a .344 batting average, 42 hits and 28 RBI. Bradac and freshman infielder Berkleigh Massey have each scored 20 runs for the Knights.

All-Time Against The Knights
Saturday marks the 20th meeting between Quinnipiac and Fairleigh Dickinson. The Bobcats lead the all-time series, 17-2, with its only losses in the 2009 and 2005 seasons. Last year, Quinnipiac swept the Knights, 7-4 and 3-1, in a pair of contests at Fairleigh Dickinson.

Scouting Stony Brook
The Seawolves enter Wednesday with an overall record of 15-24 and at 3-9 in the America East. In their last time out, the Seawolves were led by freshman Alexandra Clark, as she earned her first collegiate victory in a 7-3 win over Rider University. Throughout the season, junior infielder Bernadette Tenuto has been strong for the Seawolves at the plate. Tenuto currently leads all Stony Brook batters with a .347 batting average, 41 hits and 17 RBI. Alyssa Hawley has scored a team-high 21 runs this year.

All-Time Against The Seawolves
The all-time record between Quinnipiac and Stony Brook is 7-7 dating back to the 2001 season. Earlier this season, Quinnipiac defeated Stony Brook, 8-2, at the Longwood Classic on Feb. 27. Last year, the Bobcats lost to the Seawolves, 1-0, in their first game of the Stony Brook Invitational on March 19, 2010.

Senior Saturday
On Saturday, April 23, Quinnipiac recognized the seniors on the softball team, including three four-year student-athletes, captain Joelle Jacobsen, Kim Brzezinski and Julie Sini. The three seniors have combined to play in 348 games and tallied 121 hits, 71 runs scored and 52 RBI over the past four years.

Last Time Out
In its most recent outings, Quinnipiac split a doubleheader with NEC foe Sacred Heart, on Friday, April 22. The Bobcats shut out the Pioneers, 2-0, in game one and lost, 8-0, in a five-inning contest in the second match-up of the day. Junior hurler Heather Schwartzburg picked up Quinnipiac's win over the Pioneers, as she pitched all seven innings. Schwartzburg struck out seven batters and only allowed three hits in the shutout. Sophomore Lauren Salgado led Quinnipiac in the win as she went 2-for-3 and drove in a run for the Bobcats. Infielders Jacqueline Ristow, Jordan Paolucci and Bridget Figmic each went 1-for-3, while Figmic also picked up a RBI and Ristow scored a run. Senior Julie Sini scored Quinnipiac's other run in the game.

Strike It Up
Junior Heather Schwartzburg continues to lead Quinnipiac and the Northeast Conference with a 17-9 record from the circle. The right-handed hurler has appeared in 29 games for the Bobcats and holds a league-leading 1.40 ERA. Schwartzburg has struck out an impressive 217 batters across 169.2 innings this season. She's also held opponents to a .175 batting average.

The Salgado Situation
Outfielder Lauren Salgado led Quinnipiac as she went 4-for-7 with one RBI last week in the Bobcats three outings. The sophomore currently leads the Bobcats with 15 stolen bases. Salgado has been successful on 15-of-17 steal attempts in 2011. The outfielder only needs one more stolen base to match the 16 stolen bases she connected on in her freshman year.

Leading Ladies
Sophomore Alex Alba leads Quinnipiac with a .315 batting average and 10 doubles, while Jordan Paolucci leads the Bobcats in runs (29), home runs (10) and RBI (24). Paolucci also leads all batters with a .617 slugging percentage and a .456 on-base percentage. In addition, Junior Jacqueline Ristow has contributed a team-high 45 hits this year.

Notes From The NEC
As of April 21, the Bobcats were ranked second amongst NEC schools with 305 hits on the year. Quinnipiac also led the conference with 54 stolen bases. Bobcat pitchers also led the NEC with a combined 2.42 ERA, opposing batting average of .217 and 328 strikeouts.

Conference Standings
The Bobcats are currently tied with Robert Morris at second place in the NEC standings. Both teams are 9-5 in conference play. Sacred Heart sits in fourth with a 10-6 mark in the NEC, while Central Connecticut State holds the fifth slot at 7-7. Bryant currently leads the conference with a 14-4 record.

What's Next For Quinnipiac
Quinnipiac returns to action when it travels to play its final NEC contests of the year at Robert Morris and Saint Francis (PA). The Bobcats will play Robert Morris in a pair of games on Saturday, April 30 starting at 1 p.m. at the North Athletic Complex in Moon Township, Pa. Quinnipiac will then face Saint Francis (Pa.) in a doubleheader on Sunday, May 1. The games will begin at 1 p.m. at Red Flash Field in Loretto, Pa.