WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. -- The Fairfield University softball team came up short in both games against Monmouth University this afternoon as the Hawks posted a 6-1 win and a 2-1 victory over the Stags on Sunday. Three Fairfield student-athletes posted a pair of hits in the twin bill, namely Megan Forbes, Evie Wright, and Lacey Olaff. 

In the top of the third, the Stags scored first in the first game of the day as Olaff ripped a double to left field to put a runner in scoring position for the first time. The senior she came around off Mikayla Rubin's grounder that was misplayed and allowed the run to score. The lead was erased in the bottom of the inning as Monmouth put together three successive hits and added another base hit later in the inning to push the Hawks in front for good at 4-1. Tommi Stowers posted the key hit in the rally, a two-run double that broke a 1-1 tie.

Monmouth added two more runs in the fourth inning with a bases-loaded walk and an RBI ground out to increase the lead to 6-1. Fairfield went down in order in both the fifth and sixth inning but tried to rally in the seventh innings. After the first two batters were retired, Tahlia Brown drew a walk for the team's first base runner since Kaitlin Hoffman's lead off single in the fourth inning. Drew Westford advanced Brown to second base with a single through the left side of the infield which Olaff followed with a walk. Pitcher Alyssa Irons induced a pop up which ended the game and gave the hurler her 15th win of the season.

The Hawks opened the scoring in the second game by plating a pair of runs in the third inning as Stowers was in the middle of the rally. She singled up the middle to give her team a 1-0 lead and scored the game's second run when Abby Warner drove a single to right center field that pushed the advantage to two runs. 

Fairfield cut the lead in half in the top of the fourth inning as Hoffman started things off when she was hit by a pitch. Olaff singled down the right field line to put two runners on base. Wright added another base hit to load the bases with one out, setting up a run-scoring single to center field from Bailey Taylor. Monmouth pitcher Kylie Gletow retired the next two hitters to end the inning.

The Stags picked up a single in both fifth and sixth innings but could not advance the runners beyond second base. 

Fairfield will finish up the regular season when it travels to Quinnipiac University for a pair of games on Wednesday afternoon.