LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Fairfield University Baseball team tallied 22 hits while clubbing five home runs as they blew past the Rider Broncs 17-2 in the first game of a three-game series. Ryan Strollo and Charlie Pagliarini led the Stags with a pair of homers of apiece with the duo combining for seven RBI. On the mound, Jake Noviello earned his second-straight win by tossing a season-high seven innings allowing just one run on three hits in leading the Stags to their eighth-straight win.
 
"We do a good job of making their pitchers get balls up and we were able to barrel those with our selection at the plate," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "We pitched with their fairly well. We were able to get a lot of guys in the game that also did well. It was a good game all-around."
 
The Stags blew the game open early with an eight-run second inning with 11 players coming to the plate. Mike Caruso started the scoring as he legged out a RBI triple with Matt Bergevin scoring the game's first run. Griffin Watson plated the next two runs as he lined a double down the left field line.
 
Watson would tally a career-high four hits in the contest and is hitting .700 (7-for-10) with six RBI in the last two games. He extended his hitting streak to nine-straight, the longest in his career.
 
Watson's double would be the first of three-straight for the Stags with Colin Kelly and Mike Becchetti each recording RBI two-baggers. Charlie Pagliarini would cap the game-deciding inning with a two-run homer to right, his first of the spring. Pagliarini, who was playing in just second game in the last month, would record the first multi-homer game of his career and also cross the plate three times.
 
With an 8-0 lead, Noviello was able to limit the Broncs to just one run on three hits, with all of those coming in the third inning. The senior was able to retire 12 of the next 13 batters he faced while striking out seven.
 
The Stags would add two runs in the middle innings with Watson adding a RBI single in the fourth and Bergevin blasting his team-high fifth homer of the season in the sixth.
 
Fairfield would put the game completely out of reach with a six-run eighth inning. Pagliarini started the rally with his second homer of the game. Strollo would have the biggest hit of the inning as he blasted a three-run shot to right to put the score at 15-1. Strollo would continue that momentum with a solo shot to right center in the ninth.
 
Nine different Stags picked up hits with Watson and Strollo leading the team with four. Kelly added three hits with two runs scored and two driven in. Bergevin reached base five times and scored three runs.
 
The Stags and the Broncs are back in action tomorrow with first pitch in Lawrenceville at 1pm.