April 20, 2010 Shipping Up To Boston
The Quinnipiac University softball team will head north tomorrow afternoon to face off against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in a non-conference game at the UMass Softball Complex. The first pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. in Amherst. In their last outing, the Bobcats split a doubleheader at Mount St. Mary's on April 18.

Scouting the Minutewomen
The No. 22-ranked Minutewomen currently post a 24-7 overall record on the year with a 7-0 record in the Atlantic Conference. The national ranking for UMass came in last week, good for their second consecutive week in the ESPN.com/USA Softball Collegiate Top 25. In their last game, the Minutewomen defeated Connecticut, 12-0, on April 16. Sophomore outfielder Katie Bettencourt leads the team offensively as she bats .386 through 31 games played with 34 hits and 18 RBI. Sophomore RHP Sara Plourde has pitched in 29 games this season for UMass, posting a 0.96 ERA while she leads the nation in strikeouts with 350 on the year.

Oops She Did it Again
For the second time in her career, sophomore RHP Heather Schwartzburg (Mission Viejo, Calif.) broke the Quinnipiac strikeout record for batters struck out in a single season. The sophomore matched the record, which she set last season when she fanned 206 batters on the year, on Saturday against Monmouth and broke the record on Sunday at Mount St. Mary's. Schwartzburg finished with eight strikeouts against the Mountaineers, boosting her season total to 214 K's on the year.

Another Brick In The Wall
Senior third baseman Kelly Wall (Westport, Conn.) continued hitting the ball hard in clutch situations this past weekend at Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's. In the sweep against the Hawks Wall helped the team to their 14-11 victory in game one as she stepped to the plate down 11-9 with runners at first and third. The senior smacked her fourth homer of the season deep into left to tie the game at 11. She hit her second homer in as many days the following day against the Mount. The solo shot to left center was her team leading fifth of the year.

Mighty Maffeo
Senior outfielder Heather Maffeo (Milton, Mass.) earned the start in all four games for the Bobcats this weekend, dominating offensively against Monmouth on Saturday. The senior went 4-for-10 from the plate on the day, and drove in five RBI to assist Quinnipiac in the sweep of the then top-ranked Hawks. The senior also scored two runs in the weekend doubleheaders, and picked up a stolen base in game two against Monmouth.

Helping in a Pinch
Senior Kim Le Bel (Quincy, Mass.) certainly made the most of her appearance against Mount St. Mary's on Sunday. Le Bel came in to pinch-hit in the top of the sixth inning and drove a two-run homer into left field to put the Bobcats up 5-0. It was the second homerun of the season for Le Bel.

Northeast Notoriety
After sweeping the then top-ranked Monmouth on April 17, and splitting the doubleheader with the Mount. Quinnipiac maintains their fourth place ranking in the Northeast Conference. The Bobcats are ranked behind Long Island in first and Monmouth in second and Robert Morris in third. The team has five more conference doubleheaders this season.

Keep it up Katie
Senior Katie Allendorfer (Glenside, Pa.) continues her positive offensive presence for the Bobcats after posting an incredible .688 on base percentage through the weekend's four games at Mount St. Mary's and Monmouth. Allendorfer went 6-for-11 from the plate on the weekend, drawing five walks in the four games played. The senior also hit two sacrifice bunts, drove in two runs and scored two runs in the NEC doubleheaders. The senior continues to lead the team in hits (35), RBI (24) and slugging percentage (.425).

Steal and Sacrifice
As a team, Quinnipiac leads the Northeast Conference in two different offensive categories. The Bobcats currently top the conference in sacrifice bunts (46) and stolen bases (44). Freshman Lauren Salgado (Covina, Calif.) ties to lead the team in the category, with 12 stolen bases on the year.