Before last Monday, no Quinnipiac softball pitcher since the university joined Division I athletics in 1998 had ever thrown a no-hitter.
On April 7, Hannah Lindsley etched her name in the record books by accomplishing the feat against Manhattan, defeating the Jaspers 2-0. She retired every batter other than one walk and a hit batter.
Lindsley began her pitching career for the Bobcats at Manhattan as a freshman. She lost 5-1, pitching to a teammate that wasn’t even the team’s catcher.
“It was kind of cool to come back and pitch a no-hitter where I first started as a freshman,” Lindsley said. “That was kind of unique.”
Originally, Lindsley had no idea she was even throwing a no-hitter, saying she was just focused on forcing batters into easy outs and staying off the bases.
The victory was a rescheduling of the March 29 contest that was called off due to significant rain, rendering her the only player to throw a no-hitter in Division I history played in multiple days. Lindsley threw three hitless innings before the weather escalated.
The situation allowed her team to further study the lineup they were facing and be further prepared when action resumed, Head Coach Jill Karwoski said. Teammate Jordan Paolucci, who caught the resumed portion of the game, said the team did situational drills before play resumed at Manhattan.
“I’ve never been in a halted game,” Lindsley said. “It was different, but I think as a team we handled it well.”
The Bobcats were facing a Manhattan team that ranks first in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference for offense. Paolucci noted the team had a loose game plan going in on how they were going to contain that offense.
“We get scouting reports and we study up on the teams, but most of it has to do with how the pitchers are throwing that day, what the hitters are hitting,” Paolucci said. “A lot of it is variables. You have to use a catcher’s intuition, almost.”
Run support started in the second inning with Paolucci going deep to give the Bobcats a 1-0 lead. Abby Johnson, when play recommenced in the fourth inning, forced a two-out walk with the bases loaded to round out scoring for Quinnipiac.
Paolucci described the game dynamic a “well-oiled machine.” Lindsley’s pitching performance further motivated the rest of the team to take advantage of Manhattan’s mistakes, allowing Lindsley to continue throwing with confidence when they did.
Field support, on the flip side, came through for Lindsley. She threw just two strikeouts the entire game and in the last four innings alone, the team caught 10 pop-ups. Elena Bowman was hit by a pitch in the first inning and Anna Crowley walked in the second. After the walk, Lindsley retired every batter she faced other than a fielder’s choice in the second.
She retired 16 straight batters after the fielder’s choice, 12 of which popped-up or flew out. In the final inning, Lindsley retired the final three batters in pop-up fashion. Meredith Bryant popped up to second base while both Jenn Vasquez and Andi Stallard had their hits caught in the outfield.
Both Lindsley and Karwoski see the accomplishment as a team effort, with the defense stepping up and making necessary plays.
“Before the game, I said, ‘I’ll produce pop-ups, you guys just catch it,’ which is funny because it’s what ended up happening,” Lindsley said. “They played great behind me.”
That victory capped a stretch of five wins in six games that started April 3. Moving forward, Paolucci saw the no-hitter as a way to get pumped for the coming games ahead.
As of April 15, Lindsley is the only softball player in Quinnipiac Division I history to throw a no-hitter. Karwoski acknowledged, however, that the triumph should serve as motivation for the rest of the team.
“She’s in the record books and records are meant to be broken,” Karwoski said. “Hopefully it gives our future Bobcats something to work for.”
For Lindsley’s legacy, she will always have this accomplishment next to her name and as a junior she has time to do more. Her teammates, however, will remember her for her hard work and dedication to all facets of college responsibility.
“Hannah is a great player,” Paolucci said. “She always works really, really hard so it’s nice to see some good things happen for somebody who comes in and does the work in the weight room, the classroom, on the field. That’s pretty much Hannah’s legacy: coming in and working hard. She’s a big part of the team.”
