Game 1

HAMDEN, Conn – The Quinnipiac baseball team took on Mount St. Mary’s in game one of a Friday double header, a six-run second inning propelling them to a 17-7 victory. 

Sophomore pitcher Mason Ulsh toed the slab to start the game and got into early trouble. After a single and a double by the Mountaineer batters, runners took second and third base  with one out. Ulsh proceeded to strike out the next two hitters , blowing fastballs by them to get out of the inning unscathed. 

The next inning, Ulsh found himself in another hole with runners on second and third base and like Harry Houdini, he escaped the inning without allowing a run and kept the game scoreless.

“His command was getting a bit shaky towards the back end,” head coach John Delaney said. “Since Jimmy’s been hurt we’ve been trying to find another starter. Mason did a good job today and he gave us a chance to win two.” 

The Bobcats responded in the bottom half of the second inning with six runs. With a runner on first, junior catcher Keegan O’Connor lined a triple over the head of the right fielder. The line drive caused the right fielder to trip on the hill that roams from center field to right field. The bats stayed alive as senior infielder McGwire Tuffy ripped a RBI double over the right fielder’s head making it 2-0. 

Senior outfielder Braydon Seaburg came up with a runner on base and one out in the inning and launched a two-run home run to right-center extending the lead to 4-0. The Bobcats kept their feet on the pedal as junior outfielder Jared Zimbardo came up to bat in the same situation as Seaburg. It was the same outcome as Zimbardo got in on the home run parade with a two-run moonshot to left field to make it 6-0 Quinnipiac after two. 

The Mountaineers got one back as junior infielder Scott Seeker hit a home run to right field, making it 6-1. After a walk and a strikeout by Ulsh, O’Connor brought  the team in to hit after mowing down senior outfielder Jayson Kramer attempting to steal second base. 

The Mount continued to cut into the Bobcats lead after an RBI double by freshman infielder JT Landwehr and an RBI single by junior shortstop Tyler Long. Ulsh walked the following batter which led Delaney to bring in junior righty Andrew Cubberly. 

The Bobcats got one of the runs back in the following inning as senior center fielder Anthony Donofrio ripped a home run to center field. 

Quinnipiac’s offense busted the door open in the bottom of the fifth inning. Zimbardo came up to bat with a chance to do more damage. The Middlesex, New Jersey, native laced ​​a three-run home run down the left field line to make it 10-3 Quinnipiac. Graduate student infielder Kyle Maves shot a single through the hole on the right side to score Donofrio from second base to make it 11-3. Later in the inning, Maves became the program stolen bases leader, with 66, after stealing third base. Maves finished the day 4-6 with two runs and two RBI’s. 

“It shows how much he’s bought into that aspect of his game,” Delaney said. “My kids worked hard to be base stealers and obviously having the chance to etch his name on the top of that category is pretty cool.” 

Seaburg scored in the bottom of the sixth inning on a passed ball to make it 12-3 Quinnipiac. The following inning, junior first-baseman Sebastian Mueller joined in on the home run parade with one of his own as he cranked a solo shot to centerfield, 13-3 Quinnipiac. 

Quinnipiac would add four runs of insurance in the bottom of the eighth inning to make it 17-4. The Mountaineers didn’t go quietly, as senior infielder David Stripe hit a three-run home run to make it 17-7. It would be moot the rest of the way as senior pitcher Sam Favieri shut the door and secured the win for the Bobcats.

Game 2

HAMDEN, Conn – The Quinnipiac baseball team saw a four-run lead vanish in the final innings of game two of Friday’s doubleheader, losing 7-6 to Mount St. Mary’s. 

“You do your job that last inning isn’t so magnified,” head coach John Delaney said. 

The Bobcats did their job in the early stages of game two with freshman pitcher Mike Poncini shutting down The Mount in the first frame. Junior first baseman Sebastian Mueller picked up where he left off in game one as he blasted a two-run home run to deep left field to give Quinnipiac an early lead. 

As the second inning began the Bobcats continued to pummel Mount St. Mary’s freshman pitcher Brendan Yagesh. Senior left fielder Braydon Seaburg poked the ball into the gap for a double, driving in senior shortstop McGwire Tuffy. Not long after that, senior third baseman Matt Tesoriero capitalized on the hill in center field to leg out a triple and drive home Seaburg. 

Entering the third inning, Mount St. Mary’s was able to scrape together a run as junior right fielder Aiden Tierney reached first on a fielder’s choice bringing home junior shortstop Tyler Long. 

Poncini continued his efficient day throughout the middle innings as he continued to retire Mount St. Mary’s in a variety of ways. The freshman pitcher forced 11 fly-outs and three groundouts on the day. 

In the bottom of the fifth, the Mountaineers freshman pitcher Jeff Davis ran into trouble as he was forced to come in cold following an injury to freshman pitcher Jett Slepak. The Bobcats were able to load the bases and a Seaburg walk brought in junior catcher Keegan O’Connor. 

The sixth inning began and Quinnipiac’s momentum stalled when junior first baseman Shane Wockley hammered one past the center field fence for a solo homerun. Wockley’s blast ignited the visitor’s bench, setting up a comeback push. 

The Bobcats had a little more life left in them in the seventh when junior right fielder Jared Zimbardo ripped the ball down the left field line to drive in Seaburg, and build the lead back up to four. 

The momentum shift was palpable as the eighth inning began. Wockley almost had his second home run but was robbed when the ball bounced off the center field fence and back into play. He was able to drive in senior center fielder Brady Drawbaugh with the double. Long was able to follow that up as his two-out single drove in two to shrink Quinnipiac’s lead to one heading into the ninth. 

“They had guys in scoring position and their rate of punching out wasn’t very high,” Delaney said. “They were able to put the ball into play.” 

In the bottom-half of the eighth with a chance to push the lead like they had earlier, the Bobcats failed to bring home any runners. Tuffy and redshirt junior designated hitter Sean Swenson were able to reach second and third, but Seaburg struck out to end the inning. 

“We’re just hurting ourselves,” Delaney said. “You gotta put the ball in play and force them to make plays.” 

The Mount completed their comeback in the ninth as Drawbaugh flew out to right field to drive in the tying run. Wockley capped off his big day, driving home the game-winning run with a single up the middle. 

Quinnipiac stepped up to the plate in the bottom of the ninth with a chance to erase the bad-taste in its mouth, but freshman pitcher JT Landwehr had different ideas. Landwehr shut down the Bobcats in order, striking out two en route to completing the comeback. 

Quinnipiac will look to rebound on Sunday at 1 p.m. against Mount St. Mary’s in the rubber-match of the series.