Games 24 and 25: Quinnipiac (11-6, 0-0 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (6-17, 0-0 NEC)
When: Fri, Mar. 23, 2011, 2 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.
Series Information: Quinnipiac leads 17-9
Last Meeting: Quinnipiac (6-2) 4-2-11
First Meeting: Quinnipiac (6-5) 4-3-99
Last Mount Win: (11-6) 4-2-11
Opening Pitch: Friday's doubleheader between Mount St. Mary's and Quinnipiac marks the 27th and 28th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1999 season. The Bobcats lead the series 17-9, but the two teams have split the last four twinbills. Last season, the Mountaineers won the opener 11-6 before Quinnipiac prevailed 6-2 in the nightcap.
About The Bobcats: Quinnipiac comes into the contest 11-6 overall and 0-0 in Northeast Conference play after falling 9-0 to San Diego on Mar. 16. Alex Alba leads the team with a .468 batting average, 22 hits, five runs scored, nine doubles, a triple, a homer and six RBIs. Christy Cabrera ranks second with a .339 batting average, 19 hits, seven runs scored, a double and four RBIs. Mina Duffy has a team-high three home runs and 13 RBIs to go along with 11 hits, seven runs scored and three doubles. On the mound, Heather Swartzburg leads the pitching staff with a 7-1 record, a 0.82 ERA and 64 strikeouts in 59.2 innings pitched.
Last Time We Met: Courtney Zingle smacked a three-run homer in the fourth inning to propel Mount St. Mary's past Quinnipiac 11-6 on Apr. 2, 2011. The Bobcats won the second game, 6-2. Zingle posted three hits, four RBIs and a run scored in the two games. Erin Leddy added three hits, three RBIs and two runs scored while Chloe Mizianty added three hits, three runs scored and an RBI on the afternoon. Beth Everist and Jenna Zimmerman also homered in the first game. Jordan Paolucci paced the Bobcats with three hits, three runs scored and two RBIs on the afternoon while Heather Swartzburg picked up the win in the nightcap, allowing two runs on three hits with nine strikeouts.
Games 26 and 27: Sacred Heart (7-13, 0-0 NEC) at Mount St. Mary's (6-17, 0-0 NEC)
When: Sun, Mar. 25, 2011, 12 p.m.
Where: Our Lady of the Meadows Field, Emmitsburg, Md.
Series Information: Sacred Heart leads 19-8
Last Meeting: Sacred Heart (12-4) 3-17-12
First Meeting: Sacred Heart (6-0) 4-13-86
Last Mount Win: (6-5) 4-18-09
Opening Pitch: Sunday's twinbill between Mount St. Mary's and Sacred Heart marks the 26th and 27th meetings in the all-time series dating back to the 1986 season. The Pioneers have won five straight in the series and lead the matchup 19-8. The Mount's last win in the series was a 6-5 decision in 2009. The two teams will battle three times in a span of eight days after Sacred Heart defeated Mount St. Mary's 12-4 in five innings on Mar. 17 at the UMBC Spring Classic.
About the Pioneers: Sacred Heart comes into the weekend 7-13 after falling 6-5 to Georgetown on Sunday. Liz Tsipouras leads the team with a .305 batting average, 18 hits, seven runs scored, five doubles, one triple, four home runs and 11 RBIs. Nicole Sidor is second on the team with a .292 batting average, 19 hits, 13 runs scored, three doubles, four homers and 11 RBIs while Carley Rudloff is hitting .280 with 14 hits, five runs scored, a double and five RBIs. Sidor is also the squad's top hurler with a 6-6 record, a 1.93 ERA and 82 strikeouts in 72.2 inning pitched.
Last Time We Met: Sacred Heart defeated Mount St. Mary's 12-4 in five innings at the UMBC Spring Classic on Mar. 17. Cat Clifford hit a two-run homer for the Mount while Katy Bobbitt added two hits, a run scored and an RBI. Liz Tsipouras had two hits and three RBIs while Jade Bowins went 3-for-4 with two RBIs and a run scored.
Last Time Out: Mount St. Mary's lost a pair of games in the seventh inning to conclude the UMBC Spring on Sunday. Brown defeated the Mount 5-4 and Georgetown downed the Mountaineers 2-1. Erin Leddy paced the Mount with four hits, including a solo home run against the Bears. Alexa Tuck added two hits, an RBI and a run scored while Holly Buckel posted two hits and a run scored on the afternoon.
Next On Tap: Mount St. Mary's returns to the road for its next 11 games against six different teams. The squad will travel to Bryant (Mar. 31) and at Central Connecticut State (Apr. 1). The squad returns to Our Lady of the Meadows Field against Robert Morris on Apr. 15.
Leaders On Top Of The Mountain: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen leads the team in runs (8), home runs (4), RBIs (15) and total bases (29). Freshman Holly Buckel leads the team in batting average (.347) and hits (17) while ranking second in runs scored. Sophomore Cat Clifford leads the team in doubles (3) and is tied for the team lead in runs (8) and hits (17) while ranking second in home runs (2) and RBIs (13). Seniors Taylor Beebe and Chloe Mizianty are tied for the team lead with eight runs scored. Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano is the squad's top hurler with a 6-5 record, a 1.69 ERA and 62 strikeouts in 62.0 innings pitched.
The New Home Run Queen: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen smacked four home runs at the Dawg Pound Invitational to establish a new program record at the Mount for career home runs with 19.
Perfect No-No Pagano: Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano became the first Mount player in Division I history to toss a perfect game against Rhode Island on Mar. 16 in an 8-0 five inning win. She faced 15 batters in five innings and had eight strikeouts. Pagano is the first Mount player to toss two no-hitters in her career in Mount Division I history after tossing a five-inning no-hitter in an 11-0 win against UMBC on Mar. 10. It was the squad's first no-hitter since Amanda Hanson had a five inning no-hitter in a 30-0 win against Coppin State on Mar. 27, 2008. Mount St. Mary's has recorded five no-no's in its Division I era.
Pagano Honored: Nicole Pagano was named the Northeast Conference (NEC) Pitcher of the Week for the week of Feb. 20-26. It marked the second time the redshirt sophomore has received the league's weekly award. Pagano opened the season 1-1 with 11 strikeouts and a 1.00 ERA in a pair of complete-game efforts against Stetson. The redshirt sophomore handed the Hatters its first loss of the season and controlled a Stetson offense that averaged 7.6 runs per game in its first six games. Pagano tossed a one-hit shutout with five strikeouts in a 1-0 win against the Hatters on Friday for the Mount's first win of the season. She then faced the Hatters again on Sunday, allowing two runs on six hits with six strikeouts in her second complete-game of the season in a 2-0 loss. Pagano started the campaign with 12 scoreless innings.
Preseason Poll: The Mount St. Mary's softball team has been picked 10th in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches Poll. Robert Morris, the defending NEC regular season champion, nabbed six first-place votes to be tabbed as the preseason favorite. Quinnipiac garnered three first-place nods to finish second in the poll while the defending NEC Tournament champions Sacred Heart received one first-place vote to place third. Bryant, LIU Brooklyn, Central Connecticut State, Monmouth, Fairleigh Dickinson, Wagner, the Mount and Saint Francis (Pa.) rounded out the 11-team poll. Monmouth received the final first-place vote.
All-Conference Returners: While the Mount did not receive any All-Northeast Conference selections last season, redshirt junior Liz Christiansen returns in 2012 after missing the 2011 campaign due to an injury. Christiansen was named to the 2010 All-NEC first team and the inaugural Defensive Player of the Year, but will miss the season due to an injury.
The Roster: The 2011 softball roster is composed of three seniors, five juniors, seven sophomores and eight freshmen.
New To The Mountain: Head coach Anna Nagro has added eight newcomers to her team in 2012. Casey Beck, Holly Buckel, Danni Cummings, Kendra Hayward, Maria Santiago, Kayla Spataro, Hayley Stankan and Rachel Teti have joined the team in 2012.
Christiansen Powering Up On The All-Time Charts: Redshirt junior Liz Christiansen returns for the 2012 season after missing the 2011 campaign due to injury. Christiansen became the program's all-time career leader in home runs after hitting a solo shot against Niagara on Mar. 11 and now stands at 19 career homers. The redshirt junior also ranks fifth in RBIs with 77 and can move into fourth place with five RBIs. Christiansen is also creeping up on the career Top-10 list in doubles (17) and total bases (161). She needs six doubles and three total bases to crack the Top-10 in those categories.
Taylor Made For Top-10: Senior Taylor Beebe ranks third in career doubles with 30. Next on the list is former teammate Lisa Curreri (34, 2007-10) in second place while former teammate Amanda Burk (39, 2006-09) is the program's all-time leader. The senior also ranks fifth in runs scored with 87, one away from former teammate Courtney Zingle (88, 2008-11). She is also moving closer to the Top-10 in hits, sitting at 110 hits and 15 away from the Top-10.
Sadowl Pitching Her Way Into The Top-10: Senior Amanda Sadowl ranks sixth in career wins (23), one win away from Reanna Tuczynski (24, 2009-11). The senior also sits in fifth place for games pitched with 86, two away from Allison Moraca (88, 2000-03). Sadowl is ninth in strikeouts with 161, trailing former teammate Amanda Hanson (192, 2008-11). She is also eighth in innings pitched with 383.0. Next on the list is Iris Haynie (396.1, 1992-95).
Here Comes Pagano Too... Redshirt sophomore Nicole Pagano has moved into seventh place in career strikeouts with 195. She will become the seventh player in program history 200 strikeouts with five punchouts and can move ahead of Allison Moraca (212, 2000-03) with 17 strikeouts. She also moved into eighth place for career wins with 18. Next on the list is Sue Merolla (22, 1985-88). With three wins, Pagano will become the eighth career 20-game winning in program history.
Local Products: Freshman Holly Buckel, a 2011 graduate of North Carroll, and freshman Rachel Teti, a 2011 graduate of Linganore, have joined the team this season and hail from Carroll County and Frederick County, respectively.
Family Tradition Continued: Freshman Holly Buckel is the second Buckel to play at Mount St. Mary's. Holy's sister, Amanda, was a four-year letterwinner on the Mount softball team and a 2010 graduate of the Mount. Amanda Buckel was named to the All-NEC first team in her senior season.
Zingle Returns: Courtney Zingle, a 2011 graduate of the Mount, returns to her alma mater to serve as an assistant coach in 2012. Zingle ranks in the Top-10 in program history in games played (190), at bats (571), runs scored (88), hits (165), runs batted in (88), doubles (27), home runs (10) and total bases (222).
About The Coach: Anna Nagro enters her second season as the head coach of the Mount softball team. The Mount is 22-47 overall and 5-15 in Northeast Conference play under the coach.
