FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The hero of the game never had a hit, never drew a walk, in fact he never got an at-bat. Tyler Gambardella came in as the winning run in the tenth inning and promptly stole third base and then sprinted the final 90 feet on a wild pitch that just got by the catcher. When the umpire screamed “safe” the Fairfield University baseball team had a 5-4 victory over visiting Albany.

“I get in there and I know I'm the winning run. I know I'm going to score because I always do,” Gambardella said. “It's what I do. I'm in there to score runs.”

That confidence comes from a freshman who just made his home debut for the Stags (5-12).

“You pinch run one of the fastest guys on the team, all it is just see the ball and run,” Head Coach Bill Currier said. “He took advantage of that wild pitch that wasn't far away from the catcher and he needed his speed to get in there.”

Gambardella was not the only hero of the game, as several Stags played that role today.

Trailing by three runs in the seventh, Jake Salpietro drove in two with a bloop single and Troy Scocca tied the score with a line drive single.

Aaron Howell did his job out of the bullpen and gave the team a chance to win. Entering in the newly tied game, Howell allowed just one Albany (7-11) base runner in his three innings of work.

“He came in and did what we were hoping he would do,” Currier said. “Coming out of the pen to close games, using him in that way.”

Scocca led off the ninth inning with a single up the middle and would take second on a wild pitch. Gambardella would come in to run for Scocca, who had three of the team's eight hits.

Scocca was the only Stag who recorded a multi-hit game.

John Signore made his home debut and went seven innings allowing four runs (three earned) and struck out six.

Kevin Radziewicz had the longest hit of the game for Fairfield, as he hit a long fly ball over the left field wall in the first inning for his first career home run.

The Stags will return to Alumni Diamond for a doubleheader against Harvard on Saturday at noon.