FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The two opponents featured on this weekday schedule have seen the Stags several times in their program history. Between Jesuit rival Fordham and crosstown rival Sacred Heart, the Stags have face the teams a combined 87 times going into this week. That number will be increased to 89 as Fairfield faces both teams, traveling to Fordham on Tuesday at 6pm and then taking the short trip to the Ballpark at Harbor Yard for a road contest against Sacred Heart on Wednesday at 3pm.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: The Stags are coming off a historic series as they swept the Niagara Purple Eagles, the second-straight MAAC series sweep for the Stags, something they have not done since 1997. Kyle Dube did his job by keeping his team in the game until the bats figured a way to get on the scoreboard. Dube struck out a career-high 10 batters in seven innings, allowing one run and four hits. It took the Stags until the eighth inning to comeback in the game, but did so with three sacrifice bunts and a big two-run single by Michael Conti. For the second-straight day, Aaron Howell made the lead stick, earning his second win of the week by recording the final six outs.
FAIRFIELD VS FORDHAM: The two Jesuit rivals will be meeting for the third-straight season and the 52nd time overall. The Stags took a 6-4 decision last season behind a two-run homer by Drew Blake. Fairfield scored three runs in the third inning to take a 3-1 lead, and held the advantage throughout the rest of the game. Mike Bonaiuto got the win after 1.1 innings allowing two unearned runs and striking out a pair.
THE RAMS SCOUTING REPORT: Two-straight wins have put the Rams over the .500 for the second time this season, with six of those victories coming in conference games. Graduate student Ryan McNally is the dangerous bat, posting a team-high .312 batting average and seven of the team's 16 homers. He has also driven in 27 runs, seven more than any other Ram. Reiss Knehr will get the start for Fordham and he leads the team with a 1.12 ERA in his six appearances.
FAIRFIELD VS SACRED HEART: The two teams that are separated by a few miles, will be meeting for the 37th time in program history, with Fairfield leading the series 22-14. The two teams met twice last season with both teams squeaking out one-run wins. Fairfield was on top of the last game played thanks to a Troy Scocca walk-off single in the tenth inning which scored Conti. Conti tripled to begin the frame, capping off his three-hit performance.
THE PIONEERS SCOUTING REPORT: The reigning NEC champions, the Sacred Heart Pioneers are once again in line to defend their title with a 9-3 conference record and a 17-14 overall mark. Four players have notched batting averages better than .290 with Jayson Sullivan, a Second-Team All-NEC player last season, leading the way with a .330 mark. Shortstop Zack Short continues to show that he is one of the best infielder in the region, with a .294 average and a team-high four homeruns. Short is also the reigning NEC Player of the Week.
UP NEXT: The Stags will put their seven-game MAAC winning streak on the line when they head to Saint Peter's starting with a doubleheader on Saturday at noon.
