April 5, 2010

Quinnipiac University (3-17) vs
Brown University (4-15)
April 6, 2010 - 3:30 PM
Quinnipiac Baseball Field - Hamden, Conn.

Dartmouth College (8-10)
April 7, 2010 - 3 PM
Red Rolfe Field at Biondi Park - Hanover, N.H.

The Ivy League Slate
The Quinnipiac University baseball team will play a pair of non-conference games against two Ivy League schools. The Bobcats will host Brown on Tuesday, April 6 before heading to Hanover, N.H. on Wednesday, April 7 to face Dartmouth. Quinnipiac is currently 3-17 overall while Brown is 4-15 and Dartmouth is 8-10. Dartmouth will host Williams College on Tuesday.

Akadema Rookie & Pitcher of the Week
Quinnipiac freshman Alex Russow was named the Northeast Conference/Akadema Rookie and Pitcher of the Week after a lights-out performance in the Bobcats' come-from-behind, 10-6 win against Sacred Heart on Saturday. Russow entered Saturday's game against Sacred Heart in the first inning with two outs and the Bobcats trailing by six runs. Russow spun 8 1/3 scoreless innings, scattering four hits - against a Sacred Heart team that leads the NEC with 222 hits - while striking out six in the process. Russow allowed just six base runners on the day and didn't give up a hit until his sixth inning of work. He retired the first five batters he faced, and 10 of the first 11 as the Bobcats' chipped away at the Pioneers' leading before coming back from behind for a 10-6 win.

The Kid Looks Pretty Good
For the year, Russow is 1-0 with a 2.70 ERA in six relief appearances. Across 20 innings pitched, he has scattered 21 hits while holding the opposition to six earned runs and striking out 12. Russow ranks second in the NEC in earned-run average.

Bird(sall) Is The Word
The Bobcats received a strong pitching performance from Kyle Birdsall in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. Birdsall went the distance, holding Sacred Heart to two runs on four hits over seven innings in an 8-2 win, while also striking out six. After giving up a pair of hits and a run in the second inning, Birdsall settled in and retired the next 10 batters before walking one. He retired the final two batters that inning before giving up a lead-off homerun in the sixth. Birdsall allowed two base-runners the rest of the way for the win.

Pretty Good Line Too
For the year, Birdsall is 1-2 with a 4.87 ERA, tops among all Quinnipiac starters. He has allowed 23 hits across 20 1/3 innings, while giving up 15 runs - 11 earned - and striking out 13.

The 100-Hit Club Is Getting Crowded
Joe Poletsky entered the weekend series against Sacred Heart with 96 career hits. Poletsky collected five hits on the weekend, becoming the 53rd player in Quinnipiac history and 25th at the Division I level to reach the 100-hit mark. Mickey Amanti is one hit shy of becoming the 54th all-time and 26th in Quinnipiac's Division I history. Poletsky joins Brian Monack as the second player to reach the mark this season. Quinnipiac currently boasts three players (with Amanti on the door step) - Poletsky, Monack and Ben Farina - with 100 hits for their career

He's Making A Habit Of This
In a four-game series against Sacred Heart this weekend, Quinnipiac batting-leader Kyle Nisson was 5-for-13 (.385) with two RBI and three runs scored. Nisson was the only Bobcat to record a hit in all four games of the series, closing out the NEC series with a 2-for-5 showing in the Bobcats' come-from-behind, 10-6 win against Sacred Heart on Saturday. Nisson drove in a run and scored twice. Nisson's four-game hit streak is the longest active streak in the Bobcats' line-up.

Among The Leaders
For the year, Nisson leads the team in batting average (.390 - 23-59), slugging percentage (.424), and on-base percentage (.446). He also ranks third in the NEC in batting and seventh in on-base percentage. Behind the plate, Nisson has thrown-out nine runners in 19 games this season.

On-Base Machine
Ryan Ullrich led Quinnipiac with a .400 average (4-10) against the Pioneers, while also drawing a team-high four walks and also reaching after getting hit by a pitch for a team-high .600 on-base percentage for the series. Ullrich also scored a team-high five runs against Sacred Heart, while also driving in two runs.

Farina's Fine
Ben Farina had just two hits in his previous 25 at-bats heading into Saturday's game against Sacred Heart. The Bobcats' left fielder broke out in a big-way, posting the Bobcats' second four-hit game of the season with a 4-for-5 showing against the Pioneers on Sunday. Two of Farina's four hits this went for two bases as he drove in three runs on the afternoon. Farina is second on the team with a .312 average, while leading the team with 24 hits and 11 runs.