April 23, 2010 Home and Away
The Quinnipiac University softball team will play back-to-back Northeast Conference doubleheaders this weekend, playing host to Wagner College on Saturday before travelling to Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday. The Bobcats will start at 1 p.m. from the Quinnipiac Softball Field on Saturday, followed by a 12 p.m. start at the FDU Softball Field on Sunday. In their last game, Quinnipiac lost a non-conference game to UMass-Amherst, 6-0, on April 20.

Scouting the Seahawks
Wagner posts a 13-24 overall record this season with a 7-5 record in NEC play. Their conference performance places them in a tie for fifth place with Sacred Heart. The Seahawks most recently swept Fairleigh Dickinson in a doubleheader on April 18. Junior Amanda Garcia leads the team offensively as she bats .313 through 37 games played with 36 hits and 21 RBI. Freshman Judy Betz has thrown the most innings for Wagner, posting a 3.91 ERA with 44 strikeouts.

Scouting the Knights
Fairleigh Dickinson currently holds a 12-28 record this season with a 2-10 mark in conference action. In their last outing, the Knights split a doubleheader with Manhattan on April 21. The Knights are led collectively from the circle and the plate by sophomore Caitlin Bradac. The RHP bats .358 on the year and posts a 4.87 through 115 innings pitched. Bradac has tallied 25 RBI and 107 strikeouts on the year.

She'll Steal the Show
After stealing her 13^th base on Tuesday against UMass, freshman Lauren Salgado (Covina, Calif.) moved into first place to lead the conference in the category. Heralded for her speed, Salgado posts an 87% success rate in stolen base attempts, as she has stolen 13-out-of-15 attempts on the year.

Thriving on Pressure
Quinnipiac currently posts a 12-6 record in one-run games, proving that the Bobcats thrive under pressure. Seven of those twelve close victories have come against Northeast Conference competitors.

First Ladies
The stats show that when the Bobcats score first, or score in the first inning they have a much higher winning percentage. The team posts a 4-1 record when they score in the first inning, as opposed to a 3-12 record when the opposing team scores in the first. When it comes to crossing the plate first in a game, Quinnipiac holds a 13-5 record when scoring first, while recording an 8-16 record when the opponents score first.

Conference Crusher
When it comes to offensive performance against Northeast Conference teams, there's no one better to put at the plate than freshman Alex Alba (Sylmar, Calif.). Alba posts an incredible .432 batting average in 12 conference games played with a .595 slugging percentage. The freshman has tallied 16 hits and four RBI in NEC play while scoring eight runs.

Northeast Conference Combatant
While her teammate, Alba, leads the team with a .432 batting average against conference opponents, senior Kelly Wall (Westport, Conn.) dominates in the RBI category in NEC action. Wall has driven in 10 runs in conference games this year with four homeruns. Wall definitely posts superior performance in NEC games, with 10 of her 18 RBI coming against conference foes, and four of her five homeruns.

Lost Connection
Quinnipiac currently ranks second in the Northeast Conference in hits allowed, and ranks amongst the top five in runs and earned runs allowed amongst conference opponents. The Bobcats have given up just 245 hits on the year, second to Long Island's 217. The team also ranks fifth in runs allowed (163) and earned runs allowed (126).