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Softball Hosts Robert Morris, Saint Francis (Pa.) This Weekend
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Quinnipiac University Bobcats (23-14, 9-5 NEC)
vs.
Robert Morris Colonials (26-18, 10-4 NEC)
Saturday, April 21, 2012 – 1:00 p.m. (DH)
QU Softball Field – Hamden, Conn.
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (23-14, 9-5 NEC)
vs.
Saint Francis (Pa.) University Red Flash (19-21, 6-8 NEC)
Sunday, April 22, 2012 – 12:00 p.m. (DH)
QU Softball Field – Hamden, Conn.
Quinnipiac Battles NEC Opponents From The Keystone
State
The Quinnipiac University softball team (23-14, 9-5 NEC)
continues Northeast Conference play as it hosts Robert Morris
University (26-18, 10-4 NEC) and Saint Francis (Pa.) University
(19-21, 6-8 NEC) at the QU Softball Field in Hamden, Conn. this
weekend. The Bobcats will first battle the RMU Colonials on
Saturday, April 21 in a doubleheader starting at 1 p.m., followed
by a league twinbill against the Red Flash on Sunday, April 22
beginning at Noon.
Multimedia
Live stats and audio for both series will be available by
clicking on the appropriate links on the Quinnipiac softball
schedule on the Official Website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.
Scouting Robert Morris
The Colonials currently stand at 26-18 on the year and
lead the NEC with a 10-4 record. Robert Morris will first face
Sacred Heart University on Friday, April 20 before coming to
Quinnipiac the following day. In their most recent outings, the
Colonials split a non-league doubleheader against Akron on Tuesday,
April 17. RMU is led by Sara Capp’s .376 batting average and
.549 slugging percentage. Capp also paces the Colonials in hits
(50) and RBI (36) while Jaci Timko has scored a team-leading 28
runs on the year. Nicole Sleith has appeared in 37 games from
within the circle, posting up a team-best 18 wins and 1.76 ERA.
Sleith has recorded 183 strikeouts in 179 innings pitched while
holding opponents to .224 batting.
All-Time Against The Colonials
Quinnipiac holds an all-time Division I record with Robert
Morris, 8-19, dating back to 1999. Last year, the Bobcats dropped a
NEC doubleheader at RMU, 11-1 and 3-2, during the regular season on
April 30. On May 14, Quinnipiac defeated the Colonials, 4-3, in the
2011 NEC Tournament to advance to the championship round.
Scouting Saint Francis (Pa.)
Saint Francis (Pa.) enters the weekend at 19-21 overall
with a 6-8 mark in conference play. The Red Flash will first
play Sacred Heart on Saturday, April 21 before making the trip to
Quinnipiac on Sunday. In its most recent match-ups, Saint Francis
(Pa.) swept Bucknell in a pair of non-league games, 6-0 and 9-1 on
Tuesday, April 17. Taylor Darneille leads the Red Flash with a .403
batting average and is slugging a team-high .639 on the year. Paige
Smith ranks first in runs scored (28), RBI (23), and hits (39)
while batting .293. Smith and Davina Kachnovitz have each stolen
eight bases this season. Two members of the Red Flash squad have
recorded ERAs nearing the 2.50 mark. Megan Layne leads the team
with a 2.41 ERA in 19 appearances, while Brooke Koch posts a 2.44
ERA and a team-best eight wins. Both Layne and Koch have compiled
53 strikeouts this season, while Chelsea Rex paces the team in
strikeouts (61).
All-Time Against The Red Flash
The Bobcats lead the all-time Division I series with Saint
Francis (Pa.), 17-8, dating back to the 1999 season. Last year,
Quinnipiac swept the Red Flash, 2-0 and 11-3, in a pair of
conference games on May 1, 2011.
Last Time Out
In their most recent outing, the Bobcats dropped a
non-league game, 5-2, at Fairfield University on Thursday, April
19. Quinnipiac senior pitcher Christy Cabrera received her seventh
loss of the year while also compiling a team-best three hits on the
afternoon. Junior Jacquie Ristow and freshman Nikki Barba each
contributed a hit and RBI, while Ristow and junior Lauren Salgado
both scored a run against the Stags.
Weekday Action
Prior to traveling to Fairfield, Quinnipiac split a
doubleheader with non-conference foe Manhattan on Wednesday, April
18. The Bobcats were shut out, 5-0, in game one as freshman Hannah
Lindsley made her pitching debut against the Jaspers. Quinnipiac
came back with a 3-2 victory later in the day. Senior Christy
Cabrera earned the win while fellow classmate Heather Schwartzburg
picked up her third save of the season. QU outhit Manhattan,
7-to-4, in the two-game set, and were led by Cabrera, junior Alex
Alba and senior Heather Schwartzburg’s two hits. Alba also
recorded a team-leading two RBI.
A Look At the League Standings
With the final two weekends of the regular season
approaching, the Bobcats currently rank third in the NEC standings
at 9-5. QU’s first opponent of the weekend, Robert Morris,
leads the standings at 10-4 while LIU Brooklyn stands third with an
8-4 mark in conference play. Behind Quinnipiac, in fourth, stands
Central Connecticut State at 6-4, followed by Monmouth (7-5) and
Bryant (5-5). Saint Francis (Pa.) and Sacred Heart are positioned
seventh at 6-8 while Fairliegh Dickinson, Mount St. Mary’s
and Wagner round out the field of 11.
RPI Rankings
The Bobcats continue to climb in the NCAA Softball RPI
Rankings. As of Monday, April 16, Quinnipiac stands at 114th in the
national rankings after moving ahead from 121st to 119th last
week. The Bobcats continue to stay in front of all NEC
schools in the standings.
Dangerous Defense
Quinnipiac continues to play near-perfect defense as it ranks 35th
in the NCAA standings in fielding percentage (0.97), which paces
its NEC opponents.
Taking Chances
Quinnipiac is 34-for-41 in stolen bases this year, while
its opponents have only been successful on 21 stolen base attempts.
Junior Lauren Salgado, last year’s team-leader in stolen
bases with 18 in 2011, also paces the Bobcats this season as
she’s a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen bases.
Perfect Pitching
Senior Heather Schwartzburg remains the Bobcats’
leader in several pitching categories including wins (14), saves
(3), ERA (1.65), innings pitched (136), strikeouts (151), and
opponent batting average (.174). Schwartzburg has compiled 909
career-strikeouts in four seasons with Quinnipiac.
Bobcats On Top
Two Bobcats are currently batting above the .300 mark,
including junior Alex Alba (.360) and senior Christy Cabrera
(.319). Alba also ranks first amongst her teammates in slugging
percentage (.631), hits (40), total bases (70) and doubles (13),
while Cabrera leads Quinnipiac with a .412 on-base percentage and
22 runs scored. Senior Mina Duffy has launched a team-best seven
homers this season while compiling 25 RBI this year, also a
team-high.
Early Leads
Quinnipiac has scored 39 of its 139 total points this year
in the first inning, almost one-third of the Bobcats’ season
point total.
What’s Ahead For The Bobcats
Quinnipiac returns to action when it travels to play
Hartford University in a non-league twinbill on Wednesday, April
25. The first game is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m.
Contact: Lindsay Oliveri, lmoliveri@quinnipiac.edu
