WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – The Fairfield University Baseball team scored seven runs in the final three innings, powering them to an 8-4 victory at William and Mary in their first game in their weekend trip in Virginia. The Stags lined three-straight RBI singles in the top of the ninth and
Grant Smeltzer got the final out with the bases loaded for his first career save.
Bowen Baker picked up his first win of the season with 1.1 scoreless innings in relief.
Jake Noviello had his best start of the season surrendering just one run on two hits in 5.1 innings.
With the score tied at 1-1, the Stags' bats came alive in the final three frames.
Noah Lucier would score the tie-breaking run on a passed ball, which also allowed
Matt Venuto to advance to second.
Mike Becchetti would drive in Venuto with a RBI single.
The Stags would score two more runs with two outs in the eighth, with Lucier once again contributing to the cause. Lucier would get down a sacrifice, advancing
Nick Sturino and
Mike Handal up a base. Handal would score on a wild pitch and
Griffin Watson brought home another run with a RBI single.
The first six hitters in the ninth would reach base starting with a Becchetti double.
Charlie Pagliarini, the reigning MAAC Player of the Week would drive him home with a single to put the score at 6-3.
Dean Ferrara would single and Handal would walk to load the bases with nobody out. Sturino and Lucier would follow with back-to-back RBI singles to make the score 8-3.
William and Mary would load the bases in the bottom of the ninth to put the tying run to the plate, but Smeltzer would finish the game by getting the hitter to groundout to short.
Handal, Becchetti, and Pagliarini would lead the Stags with a pair of hits each with Pagliarini would lead the team with two runs scored. In his last four games, Pagliarini is batting .667 (8-for-12) and has reached base 15 times in his last 19 plate appearances.
Noviello made a 1-0 lead last until the sixth inning as he gave up a single run with two hits in 5.2 frames.
The Stags will continue their weekend trip in Virignia with a doubleheader on Sunday at VCU starting at 11am.
