FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Nifty defense, precision pitching, and timely hitting was the difference in game two of the Fairfield softball team's doubleheader with Iona University today. After dropping the opener by a 3-2 count, Fairfield put all the pieces together to earn a 1-0 victory in the second contest.

In the win, the Stags turned two double plays, the second of which ended the game, while Morgan Sylvestre drove home the game's only run with an RBI single in the fifth and Samantha Lindsay tossed the four-hit shutout for her sixth win of the season.

"I was really proud of how the kids came back in the second game," Head Coach Julie Brzezinski said. "It would have been easy to pack it in and not show for the second game but we played great defense, Sam did a great job keeping them off balance, and Morgan came up with the big hit."

Fairfield threatened often in the second game, applying pressure with base runners in five of six innings at the plate. The team posted at least one hit in four innings and worked out a pair of walks in another inning. But the most important rally came in the fifth inning when Fairfield put everything together to squeeze out the game's only run.

With one out, Allie Bridgman sent a base hit up the middle to spark the offense. She reached second base off Madison Robicheau's bunt which ended up being a fielder's choice that put two runners on the basepaths. Charli Warren advanced both runners with a bunt to the left side that she almost beat out for a hit was a half-step late in arriving on the bag.

Sylvestre completed the string with a base hit between shortstop and third base to bring home Bridgman and spot a 1-0 edge to Lindsay. The right hander made the most of that run, allowing just an infield hit in the sixth inning and a walk in the seventh inning to complete her impressive outing.

"Sam really spins the ball well and seems to always hit her spots and changes speed so that really keeps the hitters off balance," Brzezinski said. "Morgan is really playing with a lot of confidence. We moved her up to the two spot for game two because she was really battling in the first game. She has been swinging the bat well and is also a great bunter so that two spot could be hers for the future."

In the first game, Iona posted a run in the first inning by loading the bases off a hit batter, a walk, and a single. The run came home when the next batter was also hit by a pitch to force home the game's first run.

Fairfield tied the game in the third inning courtesy of Haley Updegraff's opposite field line drive that eluded the diving right fielder and allowed Updegraff to circle the bases for an inside the park home run. Iona regained the lead in the fourth inning by converting a sacrifice fly and an RBI single into a pair of runs that ran the score to 3-1. The Stags pushed a run across in the sixth inning after Charli Warren reached on an error and eventually scored off Delaney Whieldon's RBI single up the middle.

The Stags will play three non-conference in the middle of next week, hosting the University of Hartford for two games on Tuesday before hosting Sacred Heart University on Wednesday. Over the weekend, Fairfield will travel to Saint Peter's for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) doubleheader in Jersey City on Saturday, April 29.