FAIRFIELD, Conn. – If you were to break down the lineup card, most would identify the top three as the table setters and the middle three as the run producers. It's the bottom of third of the lineup that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

              Today, Fairfield's seven, eight, and nine hitters combined for seven hits in the softball team's doubleheader sweep of Saint Peter's University, and brought home what proved to be the deciding run in the second game. The Stags posted a 10-0 win in five innings in the opener and came back with a seven-run sixth inning to complete the sweep with their 8-1 decision over the Peacocks.

               Kasey Sekula, who batted seventh in the opener and eighth in the nightcap, registered three hits while Evie Wright, the ninth hitter in both games, recorded two hits including the one that brought home the tie-breaking run in the bottom of the sixth of the second contest. Allie Bridgman and Drew Westford both took a turn in the trio and each added a hit. Together, the three batting positions combined for a .437 batting average in the doubleheader.

              "Allie, Kasey, Evie, and Drew did a great job today setting us up for success," Head Coach Julie Brzezinski said. "They are just coming through with base hits and are not trying to hit the ball all over the place. They've been successful lately because they are driving the ball just where it is coming from and not trying to do too much with the pitches."

              Fairfield completed the sweep with an 8-1 win but the score does not really reflect what happened in the game. The Stags scratched just one run across through the first five innings which was the result of Sekula's RBI single that brought Megan Forbes home with the game's first run. Fortunately, pitcher Katie Kudlacik was able to work with that run masterfully, putting up zeros on the scoreboard until the Peacocks took advantage of a walk which eventually led to the tying run in the top of the sixth inning.

               The Stags responded quickly with four straight hits to bring home their second run of the game in the bottom of the sixth as Lacey Olaff, Bridgman, Sekula, and Wright combined to plate the run. Sam Merino reached on a fielder's choice as the throw home was late to make the score 3-1 with the bases still loaded and no outs. Madison Robicheau was hit by a pitch which forced in the fourth run which pinch hitter Haley Updegraff followed with a two-run single down the right field line. Robicheau and Updegraff worked a double steal for the team's seventh run. Updegraff came home with the final run of the game off Megan Forbes' double.

              Kudlacik earned her seventh win of the season by striking out seven hitters and yielding just three hits with one walk in her seven-inning complete game.
"Their pitcher (Sydney Senerchia) did a good job of keeping us in check for a little while but I was proud of how the kids broke through and earned the win," Coach Brzezinski said. "Katie kept them at bay. Even when she gave up that walk and one run, she came back and shut them down in the seventh."

               The opening game was never really in question as Fairfield started the day with two runs in its first at-bat courtesy of Merino scoring off a passed ball and Forbes trotting home after Mikayla Rubin's double. The Stags added three more runs in the third inning with Forbes and Rubin stroking an RBI single and Olaff finishing up with a sacrifice fly to deep center field.
 
               The fourth inning was even more rewarding for the Stags as they tallied five runs to pull ahead 10-0. Kaitlin Hoffman started the rally with a two-run single that scored Merino and Wright. Forbes added another RBI single as did Rubin and Updegraff to complete the scoring.

               Bridgman tossed the five-inning shutout by striking out three hitters without surrendering a walk and scattering four hits. The performance gave the rookie her fourth win in five decisions this year.

              "We did a really good job in the first game getting ahead early and never really let them in the game," Coach Brzezinski said. "We made adjustments from yesterday on their pitchers and just drove the balls in the other direction to get some runs. Allie did an excellent job of keeping Saint Peter's off balance by hitting her spots."

              The softball team celebrated the senior class before the game with a ceremony. Sam Merino and Lacey Olaff were honored for their play over the last four years. Merino picked up a hit in the doubleheader and scored four times, bringing her with three hits of 100 career hits. Olaff started the rally in the Stags seven-run sixth inning of game two with a base hit, her 88^th career hit. She also drove home a base runner during the afternoon.

              The two seniors still have one more home date on the regular-season schedule, a doubleheader against Quinnipiac University on Wednesday afternoon. The first pitch is scheduled for 2 pm. The Stags finish the regular season with six straight road games beginning with a four-game series at Monmouth and a doubleheader at Quinnipiac.