After splitting a four game series with Northeast Conference foe Monmouth this past weekend, the Bobcats traveled down Interstate-95 to take on Fairfield in a non-conference matchup. The Stags were too much for Quinnipiac as the Bobcats lost 10-4. Quinnipiac (7-8, 2-2 NEC) allowed the second most runs all season, second only to the 15 runs they allowed to the Duke Blue Devils on March 13.
Quinnipiac captain Chris Migani extended his hitting streak to 10-games when he roped a single in the fourth inning. Vincent Guglietti went 2 for 5 on the afternoon and now has a team-high five multi-hit games. Dale Long, Mike Blumenthal and Steffen Herter all drove in runs for the Bobcats.
Ryan Walsh (0-1) took the loss for Quinnipiac after surrendering three runs in two innings of work, despite only giving up one hit. Freshman Kyle Musco allowed five runs, in an inning of work before Kevin Castodio and Kevin Sustad pitched out of the jam. Castodio pitched a scoreless fourth while Sustad gave up one hit over two innings of work while keeping the Stags off the board.
Fairfield’s Ryan Plourde drove in three runs and was one of four Stags to have multi-hit games, going 2 for 5 with a stolen base. Jake Salpietro went 2 for 5 with a double, a stolen base, two runs scored and two RBI. Junior Rob LoPinto went 2 for 5 with two runs scored, one driven in, and a stolen base. Sophomore Sebastian Salvo was 2 for 4 with a double, a walk, and a run scored.
The Stags (7-11) got on the board early, plating a run in the first inning LoPinto hit a leadoff single and came around to score on a groundball by Jack Giannini. Fairfield added two more in the second on a fielder’s choice by Salpietro and a sacrifice fly by Keith Skinner for a 3-0 lead. Fairfield batted around in the third inning, pushing five runs across the plate on six hits, to surge ahead 8-0.
Christian Fox (1-0) picked up the win after a solid relief effort after coming into the fourth inning and staving off a Bobcat rally. Fox went 2.1 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout.
The Bobcats bats came alive in the top of the fourth. Migani led off the inning with a single to short on the first pitch of his at bat. After consecutive walks by Nic Civale and Tom Donovan loaded the bases with no outs, Blumenthal then singled through the right side of the infield scoring Migani before Herter drove in Civale with a single to right. Herter’s single ended Fairfield starter Aaron Howell’s day after 3.1 innings. Brian Ruditys, facing Stags’ reliever Christian Fox, reached on a fielder’s choice after hitting a ground ball to short that scored Donovan to cut the deficit to five runs, 8-3.
Fairfield added two insurance runs in the bottom of the seventh inning as Plourde drove in two with a bases loaded single to make the score 10-3. The Bobcats took advantage of a Fairfield error in the top of the ninth and scored the final run of the game. Mike Palladino blasted a two-out double before Long’s pinch-hit single drove in Palladino for the Bobcats fourth and final run.
Quinnipiac returns to the diamond for another Northeast Conference series this weekend when it travels to Emmitsburg, Md. to take on Mount St. Mary’s in a four-game set beginning on March 28.
