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Softball Opens NEC Play At Mount St. Mary's On Friday, Monmouth On Sunday
Mount St.
Mary’s Live Stats
Monmouth
Live Stats
Quinnipiac Softball Homepage
Quinnipiac Softball
Schedule
Northeast
Conference Softball Schedule
Complete Game Notes in PDF
Games #18-19
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (11-6, 0-0 NEC) at
Mount St. Mary’s University Mountaineers (6-17, 0-0 NEC)
Friday, March 23, 2012 – 2:00 p.m. (DH)
MSM Softball Field – Emmitsburg, Md.
Games #20-21
Quinnipiac University Bobcats (11-6, 0-0 NEC) at
Monmouth University Hawks (7-6, 0-0 NEC)
Sunday, March 25, 2012 – 12:00 p.m. (DH)
MU Softball Park – West Long Branch, N.J.
Bobcats Open NEC Action This Weekend On The Road
The Quinnipiac University softball team opens Northeast
Conference play with a pair of doubleheaders on the road this
weekend. The Bobcats travel to play Mount St. Mary’s on
Friday, March 23 at 2 p.m., followed by
Monmouth on Sunday, March 25 at noon.
Multimedia
Live stats for both NEC twinbills will be available by
clicking on the appropriate links of the Quinnipiac softball
schedule at the Official Website of Quinnipiac Athletics, www.QuinnipiacBobcats.com.
Scouting the Mount
The Mountaineers enter Friday’s games at 6-17 on the
year, with a 2-8 away record and 4-9 mark in neutral contests. The
Mount officially opens league action against the Bobcats, while the
doubleheader also stands as the team’s 2012 home opener.
Most recently, Mount St. Mary’s competed at the UMBC
Spring Classic where it went 1-3 on the weekend. After defeating
Rhode Island, 8-0, the team lost three straight tourney games,
including losses to NEC foe Sacred Heart, Brown and Georgetown. Two
Mountaineers post batting averages above .300, including Holly
Buckel, who’s currently batting .347 (17-for-49). Four
members of the MSM squad have each scored eight runs, including Liz
Christiansen, who also ranks first on the team in total bases (29),
RBI (15) and homeruns (4). Nicole Pagano leads the Mount with a 5-4
record and 1.69 ERA in 10 appearances and nine starts. She’s
pitched 62 innings, compiling a team-high 62 strikeouts on the
year.
All-Time Against Mount St. Mary’s
The Bobcats lead the all-time series with the
Mountaineers, 7-5. QU is 4-2 at home against the Mount and 3-3 in
away games. Last year, Quinnipiac split a pair of contests against
Mount St. Mary’s on April 2, 2011. The Bobcats lost 11-6 in
the first outing, but came back to win 6-2 in game two. The
Bobcats’ Alex Alba and Jordan Paolucci each hit homers in the
NEC victory.
Scouting Monmouth
The Hawks enter the weekend at 7-6 overall after appearing
in three non-conference tournaments. Most recently, Monmouth
competed at the 2012 Seton Hall Pirate Classic, where the Hawks
went 2-3 in tournament action. In its most recent contest, the
Hawks outlasted Manhattan, 3-2, on March 18. Prior to playing
Quinnipiac, Monmouth will host NEC opponent Sacred Heart in a
twinbill on Saturday, March 24. Overall, the Hawks are led by
Vanessa Cardoza’s .415 batting average (17-for-41) and 14
RBI. Christine Scheer is currently batting .381 and ranks first on
the team in total bases (28) and runs scored (12), while Katie
Schumacher has made an impact this season with a .382 batting
average, 12 RBI and seven runs. Schumacher and Scheer have combined
for seven homers this season. Lauren Sulick has won a team-best
five games within the circle and leads the Hawks with a 2.24 ERA,
while Alissa Schoelkopf has combined for a .243 ERA and won two
contests.
All-Time Against The Hawks
Quinnipiac moved to 7-6 in the all-time series against
Monmouth after sweeping the Hawks in a conference doubleheader last
season. The Bobcats defeated the Hawks, 2-0 and 4-1, on April 3,
2011. Overall, QU is 5-3 at home, but is 2-2 on the road and 0-1 in
neutral locations. Quinnipiac is also 0-1 against Monmouth in the
NEC Tournament, after falling to the Hawks in postseason play
during the 2010 season.
Last Time Out
In its most recent outings, Quinnipiac split a pair of
non-conference games at the San Diego Classic II on March 16. The
Bobcats defeated CSU Bakersfield, 3-1, but lost to San Diego, 9-0,
in a five-inning contest later that day. Senior Heather
Schwartzburg led QU against CSU Bakersfield from within the circle,
earning the win as she pitched a complete game and struck out nine
batters. Senior Christy Cabrera had a team-leading two RBI, while
junior Alex Alba and freshman Nikki Barba each contributed two
hits. Junior Kortney Kesses scored two runs for the Bobcats, but
Barba’s run in the fourth inning was the game-winner.
Rain Shuts Down Tournament Play
Three of the Bobcats’ five games at the San Diego
Classic II were canceled on March 17-18 due to poor weather
conditions in the San Diego area. Quinnipiac’s contests
against UNLV, San Diego State, and Purdue were canceled, but the
team was able to take the field against CSU Bakersfield and San
Diego.
Weekly Winner
Starting pitcher Heather Schwartzburg, now 7-1 on the
year, picked up her second Northeast Conference Pitcher of the Week
title of the 2012 season on Monday, March 19. The senior went 2-0
last week in Spring Break play, leading the Bobcats to a 3-2 win at
San Diego on March 14 and 3-1 victory over CSU Bakersfield on March
16. She saw 14 innings, struck out 13 batters and held opponents to
a .245 batting average. Schwartzburg currently posts a team-high
0.82 ERA, while leading the Bobcats in strikeouts (64), innings
pitched (59.2) and opponent batting average (.176) in a total of 10
appearances. She also won the NEC weekly accolade on March 5,
2012.
The Rookie
Freshman Nikki Barba is one of four Bobcats and the only
freshman to have started in all 17 games this season. Barba
is currently batting .209 and has contributed three RBI and six
runs scored. She’s also scored two game-winning runs this
season against Florida Gulf Coast and CSU Bakersfield.
Alba’s Playing Awesome
Junior Alex Alba is currently leading the team with a .468
batting average as she’s contributed a team-high 22 hits on
47 at bats. Alba also ranks first in slugging percentage (.766),
on-base percentage (.480), total bases (36) and doubles (9).
What A Catch
Senior catcher Ashley Heiberger leads Quinnipiac with
eight runs scored this season. Heiberger has yet to make an error
in 17 starts this season and currently has 92 putouts and 13
assists on the year.
Homerun Hitter
Mina Duffy has made 16 starts in her senior campaign and
posts a team-leading 13 RBI and three homeruns in the 2012 season.
She’s also contributed 11 hits and scored seven runs.
Salgado Can Steal
Junior Lauren Salgado is currently a perfect 4-for-4 in
stolen bases this year, after leading the Bobcats with a
team-leading 18 stolen bases during 2011.
Preseason Picks
The Bobcats were recently selected to finish second in the
2012 Northeast Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as
announced by the league on Feb. 14. The defending NEC regular
season champion Robert Morris was picked as the favorite to win
this year’s title, as they received six first-place votes,
while QU garnered three first-place nods. Last season’s NEC
tournament champion Sacred Heart was tabbed third in the poll,
while Bryant was chosen fourth, followed by LIU Brooklyn and
Central Conn. St. in the fifth and sixth positions, respectively.
Monmouth landed seventh as it received a first-place vote, while
Fairleigh Dickinson was picked eight and Wagner followed in the
ninth spot. Mount St. Mary’s and Saint Francis (Pa.) rounded
out the field.
What’s Ahead For The Bobcats
Quinnipiac returns to action when it takes on
Massachusetts in a pair of non-conference games on Wednesday, March
28. The first game is scheduled for a 3 p.m. start in Amherst,
Mass.
Contact: Lindsay Oliveri, lmoliveri@quinnipiac.edu
