Redshirt senior outfielder Camryn Lyman’s walk-off single powered the LIU Sharks to a 4-3 non-conference win over Quinnipiac Thursday afternoon. 

For the Bobcats, sophomore pitcher Jaclyn Gonzalez got the start, throwing four innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits. Fellow sophomore pitcher Sydney Horan took over for Gonzalez in the fifth inning, allowing just a single run, which was Lyman’s walk-off.

Sharks sophomore infielder Alyssa Polemeni got the bats going early, powering a solo homer over the left field wall to give the hosts a 1-0 lead in the first inning. 

Following Polemeni’s home run, the Bobcats didn’t waste any time striking right back. On Quinnipiac’s first at-bat of the second inning, graduate student catcher Hannah Davis sent a shot over the left field wall to knot the game at one. 

The Sharks stranded two runners on base in the bottom half of the second, while both teams went hitless in the third as the pitchers started to settle in. 

Quinnipiac broke the tie in the top of the fourth. Davis created the offense again, leading off the inning with a single to center, before advancing to second and then third on the following at-bats. She then came home as sophomore outfielder Amanda Engel singled to bring in the go-ahead run. 

Gonzalez continued to cruise in the fourth, as three Sharks came to the plate, and three Sharks were set down. 

Freshman outfielder Mary Fogg got the Bobcats bench fired up as she tripled to left. With just one out in the inning, the visitors were in a prime position to add on to their lead. Fogg came in to score when sophomore outfielder Brooke Hilliard grounded out to sophomore pitcher Lyndsey Cowan on the mound, and Cowan made the choice to throw it to get the out at first, rather than try to make a play at the plate. 

However, the 3-1 Quinnipiac lead was short-lived, as Gonzalez ran into trouble in the bottom of the fifth. The inning started with graduate student outfielder Kristen Blanchard reaching base. Blanchard then scored all the way from first on an error in center field by Fogg, cutting the Bobcats’ lead to just one. Freshman outfielder Alexia Castro, who singled on the play and then reached second on the error by Fogg, was in prime position to score on a base hit.

Castro would score after another error by the Quinnipiac outfield as Hilliard couldn’t cleanly field a single off the bat of sophomore pinch hitter Jazmine Cuffie. 

With the game all squared at two and an out yet to be recorded in the inning, Quinnipiac head coach Hillary Smith made the decision to pull the Bobcats’ starter and put Horan in. 

Horan closed out the inning for the Bobcats, sending the game to the sixth tied at.

The Bobcats got runners on first and second in the sixth, but couldn’t score. On the other side, LIU was sent down in order by Horan. 

Quinnipiac stranded one in the top half of the seventh, giving LIU a chance to win it with just one run. 

Blanchard kicked off the inning for the hosts with a single. A sacrifice bunt  by Castro on the ensuing at-bat would move the graduate student over to second. Cuffie grounded out to third, but Blanchard would advance to third on the play. As Lyman stepped to the plate with two outs and the game on the line, she delivered with a single to center to bring home the game-winning run from third. 

The loss drops Quinnipiac to 14-15 overall. After the one-game break from MAAC play, the Bobcats return to conference action on April 16 when they meet Siena in Loudonville for a doubleheader.