Quinnipiac softball opened up its season Feb. 13, competing in nine non-conference games as a part of two tournaments before hopping into conference play.
The Bobcats struggled in some matchups and found success in others, closing out their non-conference start with a 4-5 record.
UNLV TOURNAMENT
The Bobcats opened up their season in the UNLV Tournament in Las Vegas, Nevada. Quinnipiac faced off against Seattle University in the opening game, falling 13-1 in five innings of play.
The Bobcats’ struggled to generate any offense, with senior infielder Natalia Apatiga driving in the only run on a single to right center, giving senior outfielder Ally Hochstadter the chance to score from second base.
Seattle started out of the gate running, earning one run in the first inning off an RBI to left center, followed by scoring four runs in the third inning and eight in the fifth inning to silence the Bobcats.
Pitchers freshman Jasmine Kline and sophomore Shannon Kendall would split the game on the mound for the Bobcats, allowing eight and five runs, respectively, and allowing 10 hits combined.
Later in the afternoon, the Bobcats would face off against the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, falling in a similar fashion, 10-1 in five innings.
Quinnipiac would earn its only run on a single to shallow center field by junior catcher Riley Potter, allowing senior outfielder Mary Fogg to score. The Bobcats continued to struggle at the plate, only getting five hits, yet the top three in their hitting lineup proved to generate.
Freshman right-handed pitcher Laney Adie would take the mound for the first time as a Bobcat, allowing six hits and two walks. Kendall would take the mound again, allowing three hits and one walk in the matchup.
The Bobcats would flip the script against the University of California, Davis, capturing a 12-5 victory. They would come up big late in the game after being tied five a piece, scoring seven runs and holding the Mustangs to no runs.
Fogg would lead the Bobcats in runs, scoring three, while Apatiga would earn three RBI’s for the Bobcats.
On the mound, Kendall pitched all seven innings for the Bobcats, allowing 10 hits and one strikeout.
Quinnipiac would face off against UNLV and Seattle once again in the final two games of the tournament, falling in deja vu fashion 9-1 in five innings in both games.
Against UNLV, Hochstadter scored the only run for the Bobcats on an RBI by senior catcher Kennedy Demott, the two combining for half of Quinnipiac’s hits that game.
In a short matchup, Kendall and Kline both allowed four combined walks, while Kendall struck three batters out.
In the final game of the tournament, Apatiga would send a sacrifice fly to center field, driving in Reid for the Bobcats’ only run of the matchup. Kline, Kendall and Adie would all split appearances at the mound, combining for three walks and only one strikeout on 29 batters.
Ending the first tournament 1-4, Quinnipiac proved it had some loose ends to tie up, both offensively and defensively. Yet, the beauty of non-conference matchups is the flexibility it provides athletes and coaches to make changes and experiment.
NORFOLK STATE/ HAMPTON TOURNAMENT
In their second tournament of the season, the Bobcats found their rhythm, capitalizing on their strong play to finish with a winning record of 3-1.
Quinnipiac opened the tournament with a dominant performance against Saint Francis University, resulting in a 14-6 victory.
At the plate, the Bobcats totaled 17 hits, with 12 RBIs and two walks in the contest. They capitalized on the Friar’s errors, scoring off of two fielding errors by the opposition. Additionally, sophomore outfielder and first baseman Aryn Bombery and Demott came up big for the Bobcats, recording three combined doubles to help secure the lead.
Adie recorded a career high of six strikeouts and allowed only two hits for the first-year pitcher in Hamden.
The Bobcats would claim two more victories in the tournament, taking down Hampton University 6-2 and Stony Brook University 7-2.
Kendall put on a dominant performance on the mound once again for the Bobcats in both matchups, recording four strikeouts and only allowing four runs on 54 batters faced.
Similar to their matchup against UC Davis, the Bobcats closed out the game strong against Stony Brook, tallying five runs in the sixth inning, while strong defensive fielding kept the Seawolves from scoring.
With Quinnipiac’s second matchup against Stony Brook being canceled, the Bobcats closed out the tournament with a 6-1 loss to Norfolk State University.
Senior catcher Sofia Vega recorded the only RBI of the contest, driving in senior outfielder Mac Davis.
With the Bobcats closing out their non-conference matchups, they look to make noise in the MAAC this season.
Quinnipiac will open up conference play March 7, facing off against the St. Peter’s Peacocks. First pitch is set for noon from Jersey City, N.J.
