BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Fairfield University softball team dropped a pair of games at the 2022 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Softball Championship, falling to Iona by a 3-0 count before dropping a 5-2 decision to Siena in an elimination game.
Against Siena, the Stags took the early lead with a run in the second inning as
Drew Westford connected for an RBI single that skipped through the left side of the infield, bringing in
Megan Forbes. Starting pitcher
Lauryn Rhinehart kept that lead intact until the fourth inning when the Saints pieced together a pair of hits that culminated with an RBI double from Jocelyn Ulrich.
Siena built on that momentum with another run in the fifth inning for their first lead of the game as Sabrina Vargas posted an RBI single that push the score to 2-1. The Stags answered immediately with a run of their own in the bottom of the inning as
Haley Updegraff ripped an RBI single that chased
Madison Robicheau home for a 2-2 tie.
The Saints plated two more runs in the sixth inning, one on an RBI single and the other on a wild pitch that provided the visiting team with a 4-2 cushion. They added another run in the seventh inning to close out the scoring and provide the final margin at 5-2.
In the opener, Fairfield had difficulty at the plate and managed just one hit which came on the first pitch that leadoff hitter
Haley Updegraff saw in the bottom of the first inning. She reached second base after
Charli Warren's sacrifice bunt, but the next two hitters were struck out by Iona starter Kara Zazzaro.
The Gaels were more fortunate in the top of the first inning, starting with a lead off walk to Jessica Chilcott. She advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt and moved on to third base after Emma Capuano's base hit. Capuano stole second base to put two runners in scoring position with two outs, a situation that set up Kayla Haywood's two-run single which put the Gaels in front.
Fairfield placed another runner on base in the second inning when
Kasey Sekula drew a walk with one out but once again Zazzaro retired the next two hitters to escape further danger. Sekula would be the last Fairfield base runner until the seventh inning when
Megan Forbes drew a one-out walk. The Stags were unable to advance Forbes beyond first base after the next two hitters popped up for the final two outs.
The Stags closed out their season with a 25-22 overall record which included winning streaks of eight games and 11 games late in the season.
