NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It's been a while since Lacey Olaff made the short walk from the dugout to the pitching circle. You would have to go back a couple of years since the right hander threw a pitch in a regular-season game. But watching the junior this afternoon showed that the long layoff did little to affect her ability to secure outs.

Olaff pitched in relief of starter Lauryn Rhinehart, who bewildered and befuddled Yale hitters for five innings before turning the ball over to Olaff in the top of the sixth inning. The duo combined for a four-hit shutout which allowed the Stags to extend their winning streak to six games with a 3-0 win over the Bulldogs.

"When I walked out there, my first thought was to have fun and enjoy it," Olaff said. "We had a three-run cushion so I just wanted to go there and throw strikes. It took a couple of pitches to get fully comfortable but once I settled in I felt really confident. I was working more low in the zone and felt really good with the three pitches I was throwing today."

Olaff allowed just two hits and struck out one batter in her two-inning performance and retired the side in order during the seventh inning. Three up and three down was a common theme for Rhinehart as well as the sophomore retired the first nine batters she faced through the opening three innings.

 A lead-off walk in the fourth inning ended Rhinehart's bid at perfection and a hit batter later in the inning put pressure on the right-hander for the first time but she induced a fly ball to the outfield to end the threat.

While the pitchers were keeping Yale's offense in check, the Stags continued to wield potent bats as they have all spring. Fairfield opened the scoring with a run in the second inning as Rhinehart stroked a two-out single which was followed by Kaitlin Hoffman's double that sent Rhinehart home with the game's first run.

The Stags added two more runs to their total in the third inning, a rally that began with Maria Telle's leadoff single. Amanda Ulzheimer placed a sacrifice bunt down the third base side but the throw to first base bounced and could not be controlled by the first baseman. Both runners advanced a base when Madison Robicheau dropped down a perfect bunt that ended with her being retired at first base.

With the table set again, Courtney Hankins delivered with a two-run double to center field that easily scored her teammates and made the score 3-0. The runs represented the senior's 16^th and 17^th RBI of the season.

"I think we have a lot of variety offensively," Head Coach Julie Brzezinski said, "We have a lot of young kids who are aggressive with their hitting. Our returning players have also made adjustments from the previous years so that has helped us offensively as well."

The game represented Fairfield's first in the Northeast after playing 11 games in North Carolina and Florida over the last three weeks. With another game scheduled for Sunday at the University of Hartford, just getting out on the field was a benefit for the Stags.

"I think it was really important to get on the field today," Brzezinski said. "With the weather and the field conditions at this time of year, we are really excited to get this game in and keeping playing and building on the momentum we have going during the early part of our season."