FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Baseball team scored three runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth to overtake the Sacred Heart Pioneers by a final score of 5-4 on a sunny day at Alumni Diamond.
Matt Zaffino got the two biggest hits for the Stags with a two-run homer and the game-tying single in the eighth. The victory is Fairfield's sixth-straight win in midweek action and they also improve their home mark to a perfect 6-0.
"It was good to stay with this game," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "It's good to be home and hit last too. It's good to stay after it and stay patient and believe that you're going to get good pitches to hit later in the game and that's what we did."
Sacred Heart would lead for basically the entire game after scoring three runs in the first three innings.
The Fairfield bullpen would keep the Stags in the game by allowing just one run over the next seven innings.
Mike Marella started the bullpen success by striking out three-straight Pioneers to end the third.
Emmett Tolis and
Jack Erbeck would each contribute a pair of scoreless frames with Erbeck picking up his third win of the year allowing just one hit in the final 2.1 innings.
The Stags could not muster much against Sacred Heart starter Jake McDowell who gave up just four hits in six innings. Fairfield finally chased the starter in the seventh by scoring their first run without a ball being hit into the outfield.
Charlie Pagliarini started the rally with a bunt single to the pitcher and would advance to second on a wild pitch.
Matt Bergevin would walk with the last pitch squirting away from the catcher and allowing Pagliarini to advance to third. The catcher would attempt to throw Pagliarini out but his throw bounced away from the third baseman, plating the Stags' first run.
Sacred Heart would finally go to their bullpen and Zaffino would make them pay by launching the first pitch thrown by a reliever over the right field wall to put the score at 4-3.
Griffin Watson would start the eighth inning rally with a bunt that forced another errant throw by the Sacred Heart defense. Watson would be erased as
Ryan Strollo reached on a fielder's choice, which also was the second out of the inning.
Pagliarini and Bergevin drew back-to-back walks to load the bases for Zaffino. The right-fielder would line a base hit through the left side, plating the game-tying run. Pagliarini was originally held up at third but would cross the plate as the go-ahead run as the throw from the left fielder went past the catcher.
Erbeck would get the final three outs by getting the final batter to ground out.
The Stags picked up six hits by just four different players with Zaffino and Bergevin leading the team with a pair apiece. Zaffino's three RBI brought his season total to 30, the fourth most in the MAAC.
Fairfield is back in action over the Easter weekend for a three-game series at Manhattan with the first game starting on Thursday at 5pm.
