CARY, N.C. – The Fairfield University Baseball team fought the Penn State Nittany Lions to a pair of one run games, including one that lasted 11 innings, but came on the wrong side of each decision in 5-4 and 6-5 contests. Anthony Boselli highlighted the first contest with a team-high three hits while Giacomo Brancato's first career home run was the big hit in the nightcap.
 
Game One: Penn State 5 Fairfield 4 (11 innings)
 
Austin Pope threw the first pitch of the 2019 season and would keep Penn State off the scoreboard for each of his 5.1 innings pitched. Only one Nittany Lion base runner reached third base against the junior right hander, coming with just one out in the third. Pope would keep the game scoreless by striking out the next batter and ending the frame on a ground out.
 
Fairfield would score the first two runs of the ball game with a Boselli RBI double in the sixth and Tim Zeng doubling in Justin Guerrera in the seventh.
 
Penn State would rally to tie the game in the seventh, the first of three times the Nittany Lions would tie the contest. Penn State would not record a hit in the frame, scoring runs on a balk and a sacrifice fly to have the four Fairfield walks come back to hurt.
 
The Stags would take a 3-2 lead in the eighth when Boselli scored on an error, and Fairfield would take that advantage into the ninth. However, with two outs, Kris Kremmer tied the game with a RBI double and forced extra innings.
 
Fairfield drew first blood in the extra frame courtesy of two freshman. Guerrera picked up his first career RBI, doubling in Mike Handal to give the Stags a 5-4 lead.
 
However, Penn State would tie the game on a sacrifice fly and Gavin Homer ended the contest with a walk-off homer.
 
Nick Grabek highlighted the bullpen performances as he lasted 1.2 innings striking out two and not allowing a run.
 
Game Two: Penn State 6 Fairfield 5
 
For the second-straight game, the Stags would score the first two runs as Zeng led off the nightcap with a homer to left. Fairfield would also mount a two-out rally in the fourth that ended when Handal drove in Mike Caruso.
 
Trey McLoughlin threw four scoreless innings to begin his season but ran into trouble in the fifth when Penn State struck for three runs highlighted by a Conlin Hughes two-run double.
 
The Nittany Lions would extend their lead to 6-2 which was the score heading to the seventh when the Stags drew two walks to start the frame and Brancato brought everyone home with his first career long ball.
 
Bobby McNiff would keep the game within one run by throwing two scoreless innings, but the Stags could not come all the way back and fell 6-5.
 
Fairfield and Penn State will wrap-up their three game series on Monday at 11am.