Quinnipiac pitcher Kristin Sheriff continued her dominance Friday afternoon, firing her second consecutive shutout and leading the Bobcats to a 5-0 win over Fairleigh Dickinson in game one of a doubleheader.
Game two was postponed in the fourth inning due to rain, and will be made up at the end of the season, if necessary.
With the win, the ‘Cats gained sole possession of second place in the NEC with a 6-1 record and improve to 12-27 overall. FDU fell to ninth place with a 1-9 conference record and a lowly 3-33 for the year.
This contest was all Quinnipiac from the first pitch. With one out in the home half of the second, first baseman Sarah Collins put the ‘Cats on the board with a solo home run to left, giving Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead. It was Collins’ team-leading sixth round-tripper of the season.
“Collins gave us a huge boost with her solo home run in the second inning,” Quinnipiac head coach Germaine Fairchild said. “It gave Kristin a little breathing room, allowing her to relax and throw her game, which she did a great job of, shutting FDU out and giving up only six hits.”
Although the home run would turn out to be all the offense Sheriff needed, the Bobcats tacked on four more runs in the bottom of the fourth, thanks to four hits and an FDU error.
Quinnipiac got the scoring going in the frame, when shortstop Alyssa Mansolf singled home Jenna Henry. Charron Letarte followed with a two-run double of her own, driving in Mansolf and Michelle Petree, who reached earlier on an infield hit.
Lauren Welch pinch ran for Letarte and later scored from second on a throwing error by FDU first baseman Jennifer Whitley, making it a 5-0 ballgame.
Sheriff was nearly flawless from then on, pinning down the victory. She twirled a gem, tossing all seven innings and allowing just the six hits while striking out five. The win gives her a 4-8 record on the season.
Offensively, the Bobcats were paced by Letarte, who drove in two runs, and Petree, who had two hits and a run scored.
“The victory in game one was a huge boost for our confidence going into (the) doubleheader against Sacred Heart,” Fairchild said.
The Bobcats continued their conference schedule on Saturday, sweeping Sacred Heart in a doubleheader, 1-0 and 3-1. Sheriff and Jessica Skaare combined to allow just one run as Quinnipiac improved to 8-1 in conference play and moved into sole possession of first place in the NEC.
Quinnipiac plays a pair of NEC doubleheaders at home this weekend, hosting Monmouth on Saturday and LIU on Sunday.
