WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – People have commented how much chemistry the 2016 Fairfield University baseball team exudes. After all, every single member has come together and really rallied around by finding a common motivation. The goal has been simple: prove to everyone that they are for real. So, you could make the argument that this is one of the days they have been working towards: a chance to not only clinch a playoff spot, but also put the ultimate goal of winning a regular season championship that much closer. So we should not be surprised that they fully embraced the challenge today, and it showed fully as they took an 8-4 decision against Monmouth.

“That's what we said before the game,” Brendan Tracy said. “We said, 'we've been working for this all season, it all comes down to this.' We left it all on the field.”

“We hope that all games at the end of the year has this importance,” Head Coach Bill Currier said. “To have two teams fight for first-place, it's a good series.”

Right from the start you could see the extra energy in the Stags step as they struck for two runs in the opening frame, needing just one hit to do so. That base knock came from Mac Crispino who came through with a runner at third with a RBI single, extending the Stags lead to 2-0. Fairfield opened the scoring with a RBI groundout by Kevin Radziewicz.

The Stags' offense was not the only area that looked a little sharper with the bright lights of a first place spot at stake. Whether it was Jack Gethings hustling out a base hit from a routine ground ball to second or Michael Conti with a fully extended dive to get an out, the Stags wanted this game. And to do so, they took advantage of every opportunity. Tyler Gambardella brought home a run in the third with a sacrifice fly and Conti, who has been getting clutch hits all series, drove in two with a single to make the score 5-0.

Kyle Dube ran with that energy and got off to his best start of the season, retiring the first 10 batters in dominant fashion. It wasn't always easy for Dube, who has battled through innings all season long. The right hander needed every ounce of the game's intensity to get him through the fourth inning, the first time he ran into trouble today. With runners at first and third and one out, Dube executed the 'fake to third throw to first' play to pickoff the runner at first for a vital out. He was able to get out of the inning after the next batter.

The Stags picked up their hurler in the next inning, as Troy Scocca lined a two-run homer through the 22 mile-an-hour wind to extend the Stag lead to 7-1.

Even the bench got involved. After Monmouth got back in the game with three runs in the sixth, Mitch Williams came up as a pinch hitter in the biggest time of the game with the bases loaded and two outs and the catcher worked maybe the best at-bat for a Stag this season. Williams fouled off four pitches and forced in a run with a walk to extend the Stags lead to 8-4.

Monmouth threatened again in the seventh with two runners on but Mike Bonaiuto, pitching in his third-straight game, came in and retired the next two batters, the final one with a strikeout swinging. Bonaiuto stayed in and finished the contest with two more scoreless innings.

The Stags have now clinched a spot in the MAAC tournament which starts in a little over a week. Fairfield also controls their own destiny for getting the regular season championship and the number one seed, depending on their results against Quinnipiac on the series starting on Thursday.

“I think this is one of the biggest wins we've had since I've been here,” Tracy said. “It's good for us going into the tournament because we have the confidence we can beat all the top teams. We are rolling at the right time.”