Softball Edged by Quinnipiac on Thursday, 2-1

The Central Connecticut softball team was edged by Quinnipiac, 2-1, on Thursday on the road in Hamden, CT. Central out-hit the Bobcats 6-4 in the contest, but left seven runners on base as they were only able to produce one run on the afternoon. The loss drops the Blue Devils to 28-10 overall on the season heading into the final weekend of Northeast Conference play. Quinnipiac improves to 16-32 on the year with the victory.

Quinnipiac's Miranda Magana connected for a two-RBI double to left field off senior starter Laura Messina in the bottom of the third inning to lift the Bobcats to the 2-1 victory. Three of the four hits Messina allowed in the contest came in the bottom of the third frame to account for the damage. Maria Ascher doubled to left center followed by a single from Brittney Cyr before Magana's double drove them both in.

The Blue Devils would make things interesting, cutting Quinnipiac's lead in half in the top of the sixth inning. Senior Ashley Black singled to lead off the inning and advanced all the way to third after the QU center fielder misplayed her hit. Freshman Tori Constantin then took advantage of the mistake and drove in Black with a bunt single three batters later to make it 2-1 Bobcats. However, the Blue Devils would get nothing more in the inning, stranding runners on second and third.

Junior Katie Schmidt singled with one out in the top of the seventh inning trying to spark one last chance for CCSU, but Quinnipiac relief pitcher, Casey Herzog, shut the door to earn her third save of the season for the Bobcats.

Messina took a tough-luck loss, pitching a complete game four-hitter and striking out nine. She drops to 24-5 overall on the season in the circle for the Blue Devils

Hannah Lindsley earned the win for the Bobcats, tossing 5.2 innings and holding the Blue Devils to just one run on five hits. She walked one and struck out three to improve to 8-13 overall for QU.

Constantin paced the offense for Central in the loss, finishing the game 2-for-3 with the Blue Devils only RBI.

The Blue Devils will return to the diamond with their final NEC regular season doubleheader of the season on Saturday at LIU Brooklyn. The pair of games are a make up from when the two teams were snowed/rained out on March 28 and April 9. First pitch for game one is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

CCSU has already clinched a birth in the 2015 NEC Softball Tournament and is guaranteed to be either the #1 or #2 seed. If the Blue Devils win both games on Saturday at LIU they will earn at least a share of the NEC Regular Season Championship, be the #1 seed, and host the NEC Tournament in New Britain on the CCSU Softball Field on May 7-9.