A sticker means a game-changing moment.
The Mount St. Mary’s Mountaineers boast many of these moments on their helmets, donned in various quantities and formations of Mountaineer stickers for each moment they bring to the table.
Friday afternoon’s meeting with Quinnipiac proved to be one that will add stickers to some helmets, as the Bobcats were routed by the visiting Mountaineers 11-1.
Mountaineer’s sophomore starting pitcher Serigne Sarre certainly deserves one following a stellar 5.1 innings of work in which he allowed just one run and struck out seven.
Sarre received praise from Quinnipiac head coach John Delaney postgame.
“Mount did a good job. Their ace on the mound is really good. He’s one of the better ones in the league,” said Delaney.
The reigning All-MAAC Second Team and All-Rookie Team pitcher has continued to build upon a strong freshman year, sitting ninth in the MAAC in opponent batting average allowed and 11th in ERA while being fifth in innings pitched.
Among other players likely earning stickers are graduate student designated hitter David Stokely and senior infielder Alex Mendes, who opened the scoring in the second and third innings respectively.
Following a double by redshirt sophomore infielder Bryce Rudisill, Stokely added a double of his own to drive in the first run of the game. One could say it was a game-changing moment.
Mendes also attacked the first delivery from Quinnipiac freshman starter Joseph Hiller, with his double resulting in a second run crossing the plate.
The run marked the beginning of the end for Hiller, as following a double-digit pitch battle with a Mountaineer, his pitch count hit 55 by the end of the third inning. Hiller’s day officially ended after 3.2 innings pitched and 72 pitches thrown, down 4-0.
Junior infielder Ty Fredo also deserves a sticker or two for his showing, which began in the fourth inning with a run scored on a sacrifice fly.
Fredo went on to add three RBIs and an additional run scored in the win. Included in those totals is his eighth home run of the year, which served as the final dagger in Quinnipiac’s coffin in the ninth inning.
There was a silver lining for the Bobcats though, as late in the game, junior outfielder Sam Ametrano recorded his first collegiate hit with a single to left field.
“[Ametrano] does such a great job,” Delaney said. “He does his early work and he competes on the field and in practice every day.”
In addition to Ametrano, senior infielder Alex Irizarry also expanded upon a major milestone in the loss, with his 37th walk of the season moving him into a solo fifth place spot in Quinnipiac baseball’s all-time program leaderboard for walks in a season.
Still, the Bobcats have plenty of room for improvement before the regular season concludes, as they currently sit three positions outside of a playoff spot in the MAAC.
“We just have to be better in every area,” Delaney said. “We need to be better on the mound, we need to be better with the offensive plan, and we need to be better with executing the plan offensively.”
The Bobcats will get back to work Saturday, April 25, against the Mountaineers for game two of their series. First pitch is scheduled in Hamden for 1 p.m.
