FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Peter Ostensen tossed a career-high 7.2 innings allowing just one earned run and the Fairfield University Baseball team took a 9-1 decision over Niagara to procure the series victory over the Purple Eagles.
Charlie Pagliarini led the Stags' offensive effort with four hits and three RBI including his 16th homer of the season. With the three RBI, Pagliarini broke the program's single-season record as he has now drive in 58 runs on the year.
"We did a good job all weekend getting to their starters and scoring runs early," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "I thought we had a little more trouble with the guys out of the pen and our defense came around after the first game and played pretty solid."
Ostensen was the story of the game, needing just 96 pitches as he threw in the eighth inning for the first time in his career. He faced the minimum through the first four innings while surrendering just one hit in that stretch. He used his defense as Niagara hit into three double plays through the first seven innings.
He gave up just one run on three singles and a throwing error in the sixth. He struck out four, walked two, and scattered six hits in his 7.2 frames.
"Pete Ostensen did a great job at giving us length today and really pounding the strike zone with three pitches," Coach Currier said. "I'm really happy how he threw under 100 pitches."
The Stags would give all the run support that Ostensen would need in the very first inning as
Noah Lucier started the scoring with a solo homer as the second batter of the game for the Stags.
Mike Handal and
Ethan Hibbard would add RBI singles in the frame and Handal would later score on a wild pitch.
Pagliarini accounted for the next three Fairfield runs, with two of those coming off a two-run shot to right center in the second. Those runs marked the 57th RBI of the year for Pagliarini, tying the program's single-season mark. He would then break the single-season standard with a run-scoring single in the fourth.
Mike Becchetti brought home a run with a sacrifice fly to center and
Matt Bucciero capped the scoring with a RBI single to center.
Along with Pagliarini's four hits, Lucier was the only other Stag with multiple hits as he had a pair.
The series win was the eighth-straight conference series win for the Stags in a stretch that dates back to April of last year.
The Stags are back in action on Tuesday as they begin a home and home series with Sacred Heart at 3pm.
