With the combined pitching efforts of Emily Bellush and Heather Schwartzburg, the Quinnipiac softball team grasped the lead and went on to win 3-2 against the Harvard Crimson in its game on Saturday afternoon at the Quinnipiac Softball Field.
A wild pitch by Harvard reliever Jessica Ferri in the third inning set up Bobcat catcher Katie Allendorfer for a chance to break a 2-2 tie. Allendorfer sent a fly into left field to bring home Casella for the winning run.
After a scoreless first inning, Harvard scored in the top of the second. Jessica Ferri scored on a groundout by Kassy Shiotani to Bobcat shortstop Alex Alba. The Bobcats evened up the score in the bottom of the second when Katie Allendorfer scored off an illegal pitch.
Harvard regained the lead in the top of the third, with a home run by Whitney Shaw.
Down by one, the Bobcats tied it up at two after Bellush singled to left field, advancing Angela Casella to second and driving Joelle Jacobsen home.
“Luckily Emily [Bellush] was able to have a huge hand in getting us another run from the plate; she got a big RBI there,” head coach Germaine Fairchild said. “We got a lead, and Heather [Schwartzburg] was able to come in and preserve it for us.”
Schwartzburg shut out Harvard batters in the last four innings, allowing just two hits and a walk while striking out seven to earn her seventh victory of the season.
The softball team, which starts its conference schedule on Sunday against Long Island, has set high goals for themselves with playoffs coming up at the end of April.
“We expect to be there fighting for one of those four playoff spots,” Fairchild said. “That being said, the trick to winding up there is to not press and to just trust and believe in our abilities between now and then. If we can do that, we’re good enough to be there. We just have to really let that happen.”
