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Softball Faces Sacred Heart In Home Opener On Sunday, April 1
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Games #23-24
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (13-9, 2-2 NEC) vs.
Sacred Heart University Pioneers (10-16, 3-1 NEC)
Sunday, April 1, 2012 – 12 p.m. (DH)
QU Softball Field – Hamden, Conn.
2012 Softball Home Opener
The Quinnipiac University softball team (13-9, 2-2 NEC)
will play Sacred Heart University (10-16, 3-1 NEC) in its 2012 home
opener this Sunday, April 1. The Northeast Conference doubleheader
is scheduled to begin at Noon at the QU Softball Field in Hamden,
Conn.
Multimedia
Live stats and audio will be available by clicking on the
appropriate links of the Quinnipiac softball schedule at the
Official Website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.
Scouting Sacred Heart
The Pioneers enter the weekend at 10-16 overall and 3-1 in
NEC play after the first weekend of conference action. Sacred Heart
will first play a conference twinbill at Wagner on Saturday, March
31 before traveling to QU on Sunday. After splitting a pair of
league games at Monmouth, the Pioneers went on to sweep Mount St.
Mary’s, 1-0 and 2-1, on Sunday, March 25. Junior Nicole Sidor
received her second straight NEC Co-Pitcher of the Week award after
making four appearances on the weekend. Sidor currently posts a 7-8
record in 17 contests with a team-leading 2.07 ERA, while compiling
101 strikeouts in 94.2 innings. Kate Nadler leads the Pioneers with
a .303 batting average, while Sidor also ranks first in runs scored
(17) and second in RBI (13). Annie Dreher currently leads Sacred
Heart with 15 RBI, while Liz Tsipouras has a team-best .547
slugging percentage and Jade Bowins ranks first in on-base
percentage (.375).
All-Time Against The Pioneers
Quinnipiac leads the all-time Division-I series against Sacred
Heart, 16-11, dating back to the 1999 season. The Bobcats posts an
8-4 mark at the QU Softball Field, 8-7 record in games played on
the road, including a 0-1 record in the NEC Tournament at a neutral
location. Last season, QU split a doubleheader at Sacred Heart,
picking up a 2-0 shutout over the Pioneers and 8-0 loss on April
22, 2011. The Bobcats went on to drop a NEC Tournament game to
Sacred Heart, 4-3, on March 13 and eventually were eliminated in
the NEC Championship game to SHU.
Last Time Out
In their most recent outing, the Bobcats lost a
non-conference game, 1-0, at the University of Massachusetts on
Wednesday, March 28. Bobcats’ senior pitcher Heather
Schwartzburg put together her second-best strikeout performance of
the season as she fanned 11 UMass batters. The Minutewomen’s
Sara Plourde pitched a no-hitter against QU. The Bobcats posted a
perfect showing defensively, while UMass had one error in the
outing. Schwartzburg dropped to 8-3 on the year with the loss.
NEC Opening Weekend
In its first weekend of league action, Quinnipiac went
2-2, splitting doubleheaders on the road against Mount St.
Mary’s on Friday, March 23 and Monmouth, on Sunday, March 25.
The Bobcats picked up a 1-0 loss in eight innings and a 2-0 victory
against the Mountaineers. Junior Jacquie Ristow batted a team-high
.400 in the two-game series as she went 2-for-5. Senior Bridget
Figmic contributed a RBI, while seniors Christy Cabrera and Mina
Duffy each scored a run against the Mount. Heather Schwartzburg was
granted the win against Mount St. Mary’s as she put together
a 0.0 ERA, striking out 12 batters and allowing three hits. QU then
defeated the Hawks, 6-5, but lost, 4-1. Three Bobcats batted .333
in the two-game series, but sophomore Katie Alfiere led the team
with a .400 in two starts and contributed a RBI and run scored.
Cabrera earned the win against MU, while fellow classmate
Schwartzburg picked up her first save of the 2012 season in game
one.
A Look At The League
After one weekend of conference play, QU is 2-2 in league
action, tied for fourth in the NEC standings with Monmouth, Saint
Francis (Pa.) and Wagner. Fairleigh Dickinson leads the conference
at 2-0, while Robert Morris and Sacred Heart each post a 3-1 mark
in league games. At 13-9 on the year, Quinnipiac’s overall
win-loss percentage (.591) ranks second amongst NEC opponents.
NEC Notes
Quinnipiac currently leads the conference with a .977
fielding percentage, which also ranks 11th in the NCAA standings,
as of Monday, March 26. The Bobcats’ team pitching stands
third in the league rankings, as QU has combined for a .247 ERA.
The team’s total of 131 strikeouts also ranks fourth in the
conference.
The Stats On Schwartzburg
Senior Heather Schwartzburg continues to lead the Bobcats
and the Northeast Conference with a 1.05 ERA, which ranks
23rd in the NCAA standings, after making 14 appearances
and 10 starts for QU this season. Schwartzburg, now 8-3 on the
year, has compiled a team-best 92 strikeouts, which rank fourth
amongst NEC opponents. In 79.2 innings pitched, Schwartzburg has
held opponents to a team-best .184 batting average. She recently
earned her first save of 2012 in Quinnipiac’s 6-5 win at
Monmouth on March 25.
Alba Keeps It Up
Junior Alex Alba currently leads the Bobcats with a .387
batting average, which also stands fifth in the NEC rankings. Alba
also ranks first for Quinnipiac and in the conference in doubles
(9), while leading the team in slugging percentage (.613), on base
percentage (.400), total bases (38), and hits (24). At the
beginning of the week, Alba stood eighth in the NCAA rankings in
toughest to strike out.
Count On Christy
Senior Christy Cabrera led QU over the weekend as she won
two games from within the circle, while maintaining a .304 batting
average. Cabrera has scored eight runs and contributed four RBI
this year, while ranking second on the team with a .300 batting
average. She also has pitched in eight contests this season,
posting three wins and a 3.83 ERA from within the circle.
What A Catch
Senior catcher Ashley Heiberger ranks second for
Quinnipiac with eight runs scored this season. Heiberger has yet to
make an error in 22 starts this season and currently has a
team-high 132 putouts on the year.
RPI Rankings
The Quinnipiac Bobcats were ranked third amongst NEC
opponents and 131st overall out of 289 Division-I
softball programs in the first NCAA RPI Rankings of the 2012
season, which were announced on Monday, March 26.
Stealing Stats
The Bobcats have combined for 18 stolen bases this season,
while their opponents have only been successful on 11-of-21
attempts this year. Junior Lauren Salgado, QU’s leader in
stolen bases last season, currently is a perfect 4-for-4 this
year.
What’s Ahead For The Bobcats
Quinnipiac continues play at home when it takes on
Fairfield in a non-conference match-up on Wednesday, April 4 at
3:30 p.m. at the QU Softball Field. The Bobcats will then travel
for two NEC doubleheaders at LIU Brooklyn on Friday, April 6 and
Central Connecticut State on Saturday, April 7.
Contact:Lindsay Oliveri, lmoliveri@quinnipiac.edu
