FAIRFIELD, Conn. – One of the big reasons why the Fairfield University Baseball team was playing for a spot in the upcoming Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Championships has been the historic play of their shortstop Jack Gethings. So, it seemed only fitting that the senior would deliver the key hit that officially punched their ticket into the tournament. Gethings roped a RBI triple down the right field line in the bottom of the eighth to score the eventual game-winning run in an 8-7 victory over crosstown rivals Quinnipiac. The win brings Fairfield's conference record to 14-8, securing a spot in the MAAC Championships.
 
Gethings started off what could be an even more historic weekend with two base hits, marking the 78th and 79th hits of his season. The first of those base knocks, a single through the left side, set the program's single season record for hits as he surpassed Jake Salpietro for the lead. With his next hit, the game-deciding triple, Gethings tied a 50-year old program single season record with his seventh triple of the season.
 
"Honestly, I've been struggling with runners on so I was just trying to put the ball in play and hit something hard," Gethings said about his at-bat in the eighth. "The baseball gods were on my side and the ball got inside the line and Zeng was able to score."
 
"When he is commanding the zone, there's no better hitter that's played here," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "I've seen both Tucker Nathans and Jack play, so it's nice to see both of them and how similar they are."
 
Currier is talking about former Stags second baseman Tucker Nathans, whose 263 hits is the most by any Fairfield Stag player, but Gethings is now right behind him with 262 in his four-year career.
 
As for the game, the Stags battled throughout as they fell behind twice inside the first five innings. After Quinnipiac started the contest with a three spot in the first, Justin Guerrera and Anthony Boselli both homered to left center to put the Stags back in the game at 3-2.
 
Tim Zeng followed his teammates with the longest of the three homers, a towering two-run shot to right that gave the Stags their first lead of the day at 4-3.
 
Gethings would start the third with his single-season record setting 78th hit of the season and would advance to third on a single by Boselli. Gethings would score on a passed ball to stake Fairfield to a 5-3 advantage.
 
The Stags would allow three runs in the fourth and one in the fifth for the Bobcats to retake the lead, but Josh Arnold would enter from the bullpen and shut out the Bobcats for the rest of the game. Arnold would earn his third win of the season 3.1 innings and allowing just one hit and one walk.
 
Arnold's pitching success allowed the Stags to chip away, which they did by scoring a run in each of their last three innings.
Tim Zeng drew a bases loaded walk in the sixth and Giacomo Brancato tied the game with a RBI groundout in the seventh.
 
Zeng drew his second walk of the game to start the game-deciding rally in the eighth. He would advance to second on a hit and run play as Guerrera grounded out on the right side. Gethings would follow with his RBI triple to put the Stags ahead 8-7.
 
Gethings became just the third Stag in program history to hit seven triples in a season, joining Bob Ciccone (1971) and Stan Norman (1969). It was also the 11th of his career, tying Ryan Plourde for the career record for the Stags.
 
Gethings had a hand in the win defensively as well as he hauled in a screaming line drive for the second out in the top of the ninth, helping Eli Oliphant to his fifth save of the season.
 
The senior class were responsible for six of the team's 11 hits with Gethings and Boselli each tallying two. Zeng led the team with three RBI. The victory was the 114th in the careers of the Class of 2019, the most in any four-year stretch in program history.
 
The baseball program will honor the nine-member senior class, in what could be an historic day for the Stags with Gethings one hit away from the career hits record. Pregame ceremonies will start at 11:30am, with first pitch for game one of the doubleheader scheduled for noon.