LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Fairfield University held early leads in both games today but saw late inning rallies by Liberty University and Sacred Heart University erase those advantages, resulting in a pair of setbacks at the Flames Classic. Because of a forecast of inclement weather for Sunday, the Stags game with Ball State University has been canceled.
Against Liberty, the Stags jumped out to the early lead by plating a pair of runs in the top of the first inning as the first four batters reached base.
Charli Warren opened the inning by drawing a walk and came home on
Haley Updegraff's run-scoring double.
Kaitlin Hoffman was the next hitter in the batter's box and drove a double to right center field to put Fairfield in front by a 2-0 score.
Megan Forbes earned a walk to put two runners on base but a pitching change resulted in the next three batters being retired to keep the lead to two runs.
The Flames put up two runs of its own during its first at-bat of the game, using a home run, two singles, and a sacrifice fly to equal the score at 2-2 after one inning of play. Liberty used the long ball once again in the bottom of the second inning as Rachel Craine stroked an opposite-field three-run home run to right field which put the home team in front for the first time at 6-2. Fairfield also made a pitching change in the game as
Samantha Lindsay took over in the inning and put together four-plus innings of solid relief and finished the game.
Liberty posted two more runs in the third inning, scoring the first on a wild pitch and the second off a sacrifice fly which brought the score to 8-2. Warren crossed home plate for the second time in the game for Fairfield, picking up the team's third run when Hoffman grounded out to the left side of the infield, making the score 8-3. The Flames added one more run in the sixth inning, once again lofting a sacrifice fly to bring home a runner.
In the second game, Warren opened the Stags' rally by collecting a walk and stealing second to put a runner in scoring position against Sacred Heart. She moved up a base on a ground out and came home when Forbes ripped a double to put Fairfield in front by a 1-0 score.
Delaney Whieldon followed with a base hit to chase home Forbes and double the Stags' advantage.
Pitcher Alli Bridgman kept Sacred Heart in check for the first five innings, giving up just two hits over that time frame. Fairfield boosted its edge when Forbes' sacrifice fly brought home
Martina Gutierrez who started the rally with a single as the leadoff hitter.
Sacred Heart finally broke through against the Stags by scoring two runs in the top of the sixth inning when the first two hitters reached base off a double and an infield single. Bridgman struck out the next two hitters before a two-out single made the game much closer at 3-2. The Pioneers rallied for four more runs in the top of the seventh inning, using two hits and one error to record the runs.
Fairfield will return to the diamond next weekend with a trip to the University of Kansas, opening a weekend set with a doubleheader against the host school on Friday afternoon.
