FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Take a marker and circle this date, because if the Stags end up having a successful season, this is the day to remember. For 14 innings, the Stags really could not muster anything against Harvard and trailed 6-0 in the eighth inning of the second game of their doubleheader. At that time they had just one hit, an infield single off the hand of the shortstop. But then in an instant, it seemed the Stags turned on a switch and turned a flicker of hope into an eight run eighth inning to take the nightcap 8-6 over Harvard. This coming after Fairfield had to battle back after losing the opener 7-1.

“We outplayed them one out of 16 innings,” Head Coach Bill Currier said. “They threw two pretty good starters, they pounded the zone, but as soon as we got them out we did some pretty good damage. We just told our guys that they still have to battle and compete, and that's what we're trying to get our hitters to do.”

“We say to pass the baton,” Drew Arciuolo, the man who started the epic rally said. “We just want to keep it short and get the next guy up.”

Arciuolo was the first Stag (6-13) to grab the baton as he led off the eighth and bunted the first pitch of the inning in front of the pitcher, beating it out for the team's second hit. Michael Conti continued the inning with a line drive up the middle to give Fairfield their first real threat. The baton was then passed off to the top of the order, and they responded with back-to-back walks to give Fairfield their first run, making the score 6-1.

After a Harvard pitching change, Jake Salpietro lined the first T.J. Laurisch threw past the left side, to keep the runners moving and further cutting the Harvard lead to 6-2. Brendan Tracy avenged his inning ending double play in his prior at-bat, with a RBI single to right field, cutting the deficit in half 6-3.

The big knock of the inning came off the bat of Mac Crispino who recorded two RBI with his single, but Tracy would also score the tying run on an errant throw by the right fielder. The Stags got their first lead of the entire day when Crispino beat the throw home on a dribbler by Jack Gethings. This hustle play allowed Crispino to avenge a miscue in the first game where his run did not count because he did not run hard towards the plate, allowing the third out to be called before he crossed the plate.

For the second time in the inning, Conti singled up the middle, this one plating an insurance run.

Mike Bonaiuto came in the ninth inning and completed the epic comeback for his first save of the season. He saved the game for Peter Horn who earned his first collegiate victory by throwing two shutout innings, which came at a vital time for the Stags, who had allowed six runs in a four-inning span.

What makes this comeback even more remarkable is how much control Harvard (6-8) had over the Stags coming into that eighth frame. In the first game, the Stags could manage just three hits and one run off the Crimson's ace Nick Gruener who threw the full seven innings, striking out five.

The Crimson held a firm grasp since the second inning of that game where they scored five runs, which was the deciding factor.

“We just had to put the ball in play,” Coach Currier said. “We have a better hitting team than we've been showing and hopefully that gave us some confidence.”

“In the future this is something to look back on,” Arciuolo said. “We were in a pretty serious deficit in the bottom of the eighth, we can always say nothing is impossible. We are capable of anything.”

The Stags will get their first chance to ride this new momentum when they host Hofstra on Wednesday at 3pm.