FAIRFIELD, Conn. – If the first four home games are any indication of the path of the 2016 season, then get ready an exciting road. For the third-straight victory the Fairfield University baseball team won a game in their final at-bat, this time taking a 5-4 victory over Hofstra. Freshman Tim Zeng drove in pinch runner Tyler Gambardella in the bottom of the ninth inning to cap off some more late inning magic.

“I'll tell you what, it's good to be home,” Head Coach Bill Currier said. “We've been on the road for 15 games to start the season, so that's a good thing.”

“Every good team you need to stay in there and fight to the end,” Zeng said. “It's not over until the last out so we're just trying to win every game we can. If it takes the last out to do it, so be it.”

With one out in the ninth inning, Mac Crispino drew a walk and the speedster Gambardella came in as a pinch runner. The freshman would steal second, and advance to third on a throwing error by the catcher. Zeng waited back on the pitch and hit a soft line drive past the drawn in infield, to bring Gambardella home as the winning run.

“The last at-bat I got called out on a tough pitch,” Zeng said. “I was just trying to put the bat on the ball and good things happen when you put the ball in play.”

It is the third run of the collegiate career for Gambardella, all of them ended up being the game-winning run.

“Gambo has been a very good pinch runner for us,” Currier said. “He fills the role well, he looks forward to it, and he's ready to go. He makes good decisions on the bases and I think we've worked with him a little bit and reeled him in a little bit and he's done a good job.”

Mike Bonaiuto's performance should not go unnoticed as the lefty got the win after his three scoreless innings of work. Bonaiuto came in with two runners on in the seventh inning, and got the ground ball he needed to get out of the inning, but the Stags could not turn the double play, allowing Hofstra to sneak in the tying run.

The Pride got the first two runs of the game after back-to-back two out doubles from Brad Witkowski and Steven Foster in the third inning gave the visiting side a 2-0 lead.

Fairfield quickly responded by putting a four spot in the fourth that included Michael Conti taking an 0-2 pitch into right field, scoring two and tying up the game. The Stags got a break when they took the lead as two runs scored on a fielding error.

The Stags' bullpen did their job the rest of the way as Hofstra was able to sneak out just two runs off a bases loaded walk in the sixth and the botched double play in the seventh. Peter Horn was one of the heroes out of the pen, coming in with the bases loaded and nobody out in the sixth frame and limited the damage to just one run as he induced a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat.

Leadoff man Drew Arciuolo tied Conti with a team-high three hits and Crispino recorded two of his own to account for Fairfield's 12 hits. The Stags were also active on the bases as four student-athletes swiped a bag in the game.

The Stags, who had just one walk-off win all of last season, recorded their second in the past week.

“We never doubt ourselves,” Zeng said. “No matter how much we are down by, we keep battling until the last out. We always have confidence when we go out there.”

That confidence will be a big part for the rest of the season as the Stags open up their MAAC schedule as the Rider Broncs come to town starting with a doubleheader Saturday at noon.