FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Baseball team completed a four-game sweep over Canisius as they took both games on Sunday's doubleheader and in turn marked the best start in the 70-year history of the baseball program. The Stags held on for a 6-3 win in the opener and cruised to an 8-0 decision in the nightcap as they became the first Fairfield Baseball team to start a season 4-0.
 
"It's good to finally compete and to play," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "All the hard work the kids put in, it's great to play. Everybody is seeing the new kids and the returning kids who haven't played in over a year. I was really proud of our guys pitching and throwing strikes, our defense played solid, and we got some clutch hits with guys on base and certainly swung the bats pretty well."
 
Game One: Fairfield 6, Canisius 3
 
The opener was highlighted by the return of John Signore to the Alumni Diamond mound, marking his first pitching appearance at home since May 5, 2018. The sixth year senior did not disappoint as he tossed 5.1 innings while striking out six and allowing a lone run in his 2021 debut.
 
His six strikeouts brought his career total to 239, tying Keefe Cato '79 for second place on the program's all-time strikeout list.
 
The lone run he surrendered opened up the scoring in the second inning as Canisius' center fielder Jake Burlingame lined a 1-2 pitch over the right field wall to give the Griffs a 1-0 lead.
 
As they did all weekend long, the Stags answered back, scoring at least a run in four-straight innings. Dan Ryan started his own two-out rally in the third as he was hit by a pitch and reached third with a passed ball and a wild pitch on back-to-back pitches. Ryan would complete the unusual run as he crossed the plate on another passed ball. Sean Cullen would give the Stags a lead they would not relinquish as he capped an eight pitch at-bat with a RBI single up the middle.
 
Making his first career home start, Matt Venuto added to the lead with a long home run in the fourth. That long ball would be followed by another Justin Guerrera round tripper in the next frame, the fourth homer for the junior on the weekend. The Stags would add another insurance run with a Mike Handal RBI single in the sixth.
 
Canisus added some drama in the final frame, plating two runs and loading the bases which brought the go-ahead run to the plate. Bryson Cafaro would win a seven pitch at-bat by striking out Jacob Victor and got Burlingame to fly out to third to end the game and notch his first save of the season.
 
 
Game Two: Fairfield 8, Canisius 0
 
The nightcap would feature another return of an impact starting pitcher for the Stags as Jake Noviello made his first appearance on a mound since the win over Manhattan in the MAAC Championships in 2019. Returning from an injury, Noviello tossed the best game of his career with a personal best six innings and a career best seven strikeouts. Noviello allowed just three hits in six shutout frames. He did not allow a hit until the third inning when Dylan Vincent singled to right. That base knock snapped a streak of four-straight strikeouts for the right hander.
 
Fairfield would give their hurler more run support with a pair of runs in the first and fifth innings. For the third time this weekend, Cullen opened the scoring for the Stags as he won another long at-bat, lining the ninth pitch into left field for a two-run single.
 
The Stags added on to their lead in the fifth with a Handal RBI groundout and a two-out blast by Ryan, his second on the weekend.
 
Noviello ran into trouble just once in his outing as he loaded the bases on three hit batters in the sixth. The junior would dance out of trouble by forcing a fly out by Burlingame to end the jam.
 
The Stags blew the game open in the sixth with a two run double by Ryan and another two run single by Guerrera to put the Fairfield lead at 8-0. Those runs capped a nine RBI weekend for Guerrera who also hit .533 with a 1.988 OPS against the Griffs.
 
Ryan and Handal finished second on the team with six RBI in the series against Canisius.
 
The 4-0 start marks the best start in program history.
 
Fairfield will look to improve on their best start when they travel to Saint Peter's for another four-game set next weekend with two doubleheaders that start at 12 noon.