ARLINGTON, Va. – The Fairfield University Baseball team pounded out 19 hits while scoring 15 runs and gave starting pitcher
Colin McVeigh all he would need in a 15-2 victory in the doubleheader nightcap over George Washington on Sunday. The Stags split the twin bill as they dropped the opener 4-2.
Eight Stags recorded a hit and drove in a run in the Game Two victory with three student-athletes:
Mike Becchetti,
Matt Venuto, and
Noah Lucier each tallying three or more base knocks. Becchetti led the group with four hits including his first triple of the season. McVeigh would have his best start of the early season with five shutout innings on three hits and a pair of strikeouts.
"It all starts with McVeigh not giving up a run through five innings," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "He battled and threw strikes and kept the hitters off stride. Obviously the hitters got a lot of hits. We did a good job of not chasing pitches, stayed in the zone, and drove the ball."
Game One: George Washington 4, Fairfield 2
The Stags could not solve George Washington Game One starter Chris Kahler as the Colonial tossed a complete game on 137 pitches while giving up six hits and allowing two runs.
Both of those runs came in the fourth as Venuto would line a RBI double to right field, scoring
Griffin Watson all the way from first. Venuto would advance to third on a ground out and would score on a
Charlie Pagliarini sacrifice fly to center.
The Fairfield bullpen kept them in striking distance as the three pitchers combined for four shutout innings.
Kevin Kell had the bulk of the work with three scoreless frames allowing just a pair of hits.
Billy Fitzgerald and
Grant Smeltzer combined for a scoreless eighth.
George Washington's Kahler completed his 137-pitch complete game performance in just two hours and twenty minutes. He struck out eight and walked one while allowing six hits
Game Two: Fairfield 15, George Washington 2
Fairfield found their offense in the nightcap, pounding out 19 hits and scoring 15 runs. Becchetti, who led the team with a 5-for-6 day at the plate, got the offensive success started with a RBI single to right in the first inning.
Venuto would bookend his doubleheader with another RBI in the second inning as his RBI double brought home the second run. Venuto leads the team with nine RBI through the team's first six games.
The Stags would add three runs in the third on a
Nick Sturino bases loaded walk and a
Noah Lucier RBI single.
Matt Bergevin would score the next run on a wild pitch.
In total, the Stags had 19 baserunners through the first five innings and had 30 in the game. Pagliarini reached base five times with a hit, two walks, and two hit by pitches.
JP Kuczik added his first career multi-hit game with two hits and two RBI. Venuto had multiple hits in both games of the doubleheader and finished his night with a 3-for-4 showing and two runs scored. Becchetti had a career-high five hits with three runs scored and three RBI. Lucier had his first three hit game as a Stag and drove in two.
AJ Donofrio capped the hitting with a double.
The Stags will return to the state of Virginia when they play three road games against three different schools, starting with a Friday afternoon contest at Richmond at 1pm.
