Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University baseball team swept a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) doubleheader from Niagara University this afternoon at Alumni Diamond. The Stags opened the day with a 6-2 victory behind a solid outing by Scott Warwick and overtook the Purple Eagles, 10-9, in Fairfield's last at-bat of the afternoon.
In the first game, Warwick mowed down 10 batters, tying a career high, and scattered two runs on three hits over 6.2 innings of work. After Niagara's Cam Stykemain led the game off with a hit, Warwick shut the Purple Eagles down, retiring 11 straight batters. That string was broken up in the fifth inning when John Wilson was hit by a pitch, but Warwick continued to roll, not allowing a hit until Eric Hink's two-out triple in the top of the sixth.
The Stags (10-15; 3-5 MAAC), meanwhile, were clicking on offense. Fairfield took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning as Tucker Nathans scored on a Purple Eagles error. The Stags added three runs in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded, Ryan Furbeck drew a walk to force in Nick Piccirillo. Junior Larry Cornelia followed with a fielder's choice which plated rookie Ryan Plourde. Nathans picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly to right which scored senior Chris Horning to make the score 4-0. Horning gave the Stags a 5-0 advantage in the bottom of the sixth with an RBI double.
The Purple Eagles (4-24; 1-7 MAAC) got on the board in the top of the seventh as Stykemain delivered a two-RBI single to right field. The Stags got one of the runs back in the bottom of the eighth on another RBI double by Horning. Sophomore Mark Bordonaro closed the door on the Purple Eagles, throwing 2.1 scoreless innings of relief for his second save of the season. Drew Fittry was tagged with the loss for the Purple Eagles, allowing five runs, four earned, on five hits and four walks.
Fairfield came-from-behind and captured the second game with late-inning heroics. Trailing 9-8 with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Plourde reached on an error and was able to advance to second base. Horning was then hit by a pitch and both runners later advanced 90 feet on a groundout by Furbeck. With two outs, Cornelia popped a ball up high into the air. It seemed as if the game was about to be over, but the ball was dropped in the infield for Niagara's fifth defensive error of the game, and that allowed Plourde to score the tying run and pinch runner Justin Nusblatt to score the game-winning run from second base.
At the start of the game, the Stags led, 4-2, in the first inning after a two-RBI double to center by Plourde. The Purple Eagles tied it up in the top of the third with a pair of RBI singles. Fairfield answered with a four-run fourth inning to pull ahead, 8-4. Niagara rallied in the top of the sixth inning, scoring five runs. With the bases loaded, Adam Wagner tripled down the right field line to pull the Purple Eagles within 8-7. Wagner then scored on a single by Hink to knot the game, 8-8. Brian Deering then put Niagara on top, 9-8, with a sac fly to left field.
Sophomore Kyle Capaldo picked up the win to improve to 3-2 on the year after coming in for 2.1 innings of relief in which he allowed one run on three hits. Deering, who came into close on a double switch in the bottom of the seventh, took the loss. At the plate, Deering went 2-for-3 with four RBI while Wagner was 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored.
Nathans went a combined 3-for-5 on the day for the Stags with a double, two stolen bases, and three runs scored.
Fairfield and Niagara will finish out the series tomorrow, April 10, at 12pm on Alumni Diamond.
