FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The excitement over this Fairfield University Baseball season continues to grow game after game. Today, the Stags found some late inning magic as
Mike Caruso scored the game-winning run after forcing an errant throw while stealing third base for a 10-9 victory over Yale, the team's eighth win over their last nine games. With their win, the Stags have reached the .500 mark with an even 13-13 record.
After a 10-run, 19-hit outburst against No. 22 UConn yesterday, the Fairfield bats stayed hot with three runs in the first inning, and seven through the first three frames.
Justin Guerrera had the first big hit for the Stags as he launched an opposite field two-run homer to give the Stags a 2-0 lead. The Stags would load the bases with one out and would plate another run with a
Tom Ryan RBI single.
Jack Gethings would score off of
Tom Ryan's single, the 143rd run in his Fairfield career breaking the program's all-time record. Gethings would also grab a pair of hits to bring his career total to 228, tying him for second in the program's record books.
Tim Zeng tied for the team lead with three hits on the afternoon and would lead the squad with four runs scored. His biggest hit came to leadoff the second as he launched a 2-2 pitch over the right field wall.
Anthony Boselli would drive in the first of his team-high four runs on the afternoon with a double into the left center field gap.
Boselli was also at the forefront of Fairfield's third inning with a two-run double down the left field line.
Yale would cut the lead to 7-6 with a four run fourth inning, but the Stags extended their lead in the fifth. Zeng would bring home
Griffin Watson as the duo led off the frame with back-to-back doubles. Boselli would cap the frame with a RBI single.
Zeng would finish a triple shy of the cycle with his three hits.
Yale would tie the game on a Tom Fuller RBI single in the sixth to knot the game at 9-9, the same score entering the ninth inning.
With a runner at first, Mason LaPlante hit a fly ball to right field where
Dylan Reynolds would field the one hopper bare handed and throw the runner out at second, to keep him out of scoring position.
The Stags needed only four pitches in the bottom of the ninth for the victory as
Mike Caruso started the frame with a double to right center. With the third baseman playing in due to a bunt situation, Caruso was aggressive on the base paths as he took off for third with a stolen base. As the catcher threw over to the backpedaling third baseman, the ball would get down the line allowing Caruso to score the game-winning run.
The first four hitters in the Fairfield lineup all had at least two hits, with Zeng's and Boselli's three base knocks leading the way. Watson also had a pair of hits out of the ninth spot.
Nick Grabek would get the victory with two scoreless frames.
The Stags will now have seven-straight on the road starting with a series at Siena with a noon doubleheader on Saturday.
