FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield University Softball used an eight-run third inning to fuel a 9-1 victory over visiting Yale in five innings on Wednesday afternoon. Seven different Stags drove in runs in the midweek triumph, and Bailey Taylor earned the win in the circle.
 
The Stags improve to 6-14 after their first home victory of the year. Yale, which is coming off an Ivy League series victory at Dartmouth over the weekend, drops to 5-14.
 
Yale started the scoring on the day when Carmen Muscolina led off the top of the second inning with a home run to straight away centerfield. But the blast was one of just four hits on the day for the Bulldogs, two of which were erased on double plays, as the Stags responded with nine unanswered tallies.
 
The equalizing run came in the bottom of the frame as Lauryn Rhinehart walked, Megan Forbes singled, and Kasey Sekula found daylight in shallow left field for an RBI double.
 
In Taylor's third and final inning of work, the hurler worked around a leadoff single, including Sekula cutting down the lead runner on a sacrifice bunt attempt, to setup the hitting corps' outburst in the bottom of the frame.
 
Haley Updegraff led off with a walk – the first of two times she would reach in the frame, and Charli Warren followed with another base-on-balls. After a productive out moved both runners up one station, Mikayla Rubin knocked in the go-ahead run with an infield hit. Forbes followed with a two-run double and Westford added another two-bagger to extend the lead to 5-1.
 
The revolving door continued with RBI singles for Robicheau and Updegraff, and Warren capped the onslaught with a two-out, two-run single to make it a 9-1 lead.
 
Sam Lindsay took the ball in the fourth and worked around a two-out walk, then retired the side in order to invoke the run rule and shut the door on the 9-1 win.
 
Forbes was the lone Stag with two hits, while she and Warren each picked up two RBI. Updegraff, Rubin, Westford, Sekula and Robicheau all had one hit and one run batted in. Updegraff also scored twice and had a pair of stolen bases – both in the third frame.
 
Taylor (2-4) allowed one run on four hits with one strikeout and no walks. Lindsay faced one batter over the minimum, ceding just one walk in her two innings of relief.
 
Up next, the Stags begin MAAC play on the road with a Saturday doubleheader at Rider and Sunday twin bill at Monmouth. First pitch on both days is set for noon.
 
Action returns to Alumni Field next Wednesday, April 6 with a 4 p.m. visit from Columbia.