DELAND, Fla. – The Fairfield University softball team extended its winning streak to four games with its second sweep in as many days as the Stags posted an 11-0 win over Bethune-Cookman and a 3-1 nine-inning victory over host school at the Stetson Invitational today. The team has won all four of its games at the Classic and will go for the tournament sweep when it plays Bethune-Cookman on Sunday morning.
In today's first game, Fairfield scored early and scored often against Bethune-Cookman, crossing home plate in three of its four at-bats. The offense found its pace in the first inning when the Stags pushed home a run in the bottom of the first inning.
Sam Merino brought the first run home with a single to right field, sending home
Courtney Hankins.
The second inning was even more fruitful for the Stags as they managed four runs in their half of the inning.
Tahlia Brown ripped a double down the left field line that made the score 2-0 when
Lacey Olaff crossed home plate. Hankins broke the game open when she launched a three-run homer that cleared the left field fence, the senior's third homer in the first 10 games of the season.
The long ball played a role in the team's six-run fourth inning as Hankins started the rally with a solo home run.
Kaitlin Hoffman and
Maria Telle kept the offense rolling with a pair of RBI singles, bringing the score to 8-0. The scoring came to an end when
Kaleigh MacDonald launched a three-run home run that also brought home Hoffman and Telle.
"Hankins set the tone offensive with her two home runs and four RBIs," Head Coach
Julie Brzezinski said. "As a team, we are attacking the zone with confidence and great pitch selection and that is carrying throughout the entire lineup. We had a chance to put the game out of reach in the fourth inning and we did just that."
Lauryn Rhinehart earned her second win of the season by scattering a pair of hits and walking three hitters and fanning two batters.
In the second game of the evening, Fairfield came from behind to erase a one-run deficit and defeat Stetson University by a 3-1 count. The Hatters opened the scoring with a run in the first inning off starter
Karisa Hughen. The senior right hander would settle down after that blip and not allow another run over the next eight innings.
Fairfield tied the game in the fourth inning as Merino was responsible for the team's first RBI once again with a single to right field that sent home
Madison Robicheau. That run would be the last by any team until the ninth inning when the Stags would scratch out a pair of runs.
The international tie breaker rule was used in the ninth inning, placing Olaff at second base to start the inning. Brown broke the tie with a single to center field that resulted in the team's second run.
Amanda Ulzheimer provided an insurance run when she sent a ball into the right field corner, allowing the runner to score from first and ended with Ulzheimer on third base.
"Amanda has been seeing the ball well and using her speed to put pressure on the defense and is succeeding in the lead off spot," Coach Brzezinski said. "We are competing with every pitch and it's fun to see right now."
Hughen finished the game with three ground outs to improve her record to 2-0. She yielded 10 hits and struck out five batters in the complete-game performance.