POMONA, N.Y. – Charlie Pagliarini homered twice and Mike Becchetti extended his hitting streak to 19-straight games with a long ball as the Fairfield University Baseball team powered past Manhattan 9-2 in the first game of a three-game set. Jake Noviello held down the Manhattan offense with eight strong innings in picking up his third win of the season.
 
"Pags was very patient at the plate waiting for a pitch up and barreling it to all fields," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "Novi didn't have his best pitch location early on but battled to strand runners."
 
Before the long balls, the Stags (16-11, 6-1 MAAC) built their lead by playing small ball by tallying four run scoring singles in the first three innings.
 
Ethan Hibbard picked up the first RBI hit with a single to left to play the game's first run. The Stags would plate three in the third, starting with a Matt Bergevin RBI single to the opposite field. He would get in scoring position by stealing second, the first of his two stolen bases of the day. Matt Bucciero took advantage and singled him home to put the score at 3-0.
 
Nick Sturino would bring home another run with a single to right and the throw from the right fielder got away to score Bucciero.
 
The Stags' power would take over and was responsible for the final five runs.
 
Becchetti started the power barrage with his ninth homer of the season, hitting one out in center field. The two-run homer put the Stags ahead 6-0 in the fourth.
 
The long ball also extended Becchetti's hitting streak to 19-straight, the second longest in program history. Only Jack Gethings' 25-straight during the 2018-19 seasons is longer.
 
Pagliarini would then take over with a long homer off the concourse in center field in the fourth. He would later line an opposite field shot over the left field wall for his twelfth homer of the season and the second of the day. He is one homer shy of tying the single season program record with 13 homers, that he tied last year along with Justin Guerrera in 2021.
 
The homer was also the 28th of his career, already second in program history.
 
Meanwhile, Noviello gave the Stags everything they wanted on the mound with eight strong innings, the second time this year he went at least eight frames. The only runs he allowed was from a two-run homer to AJ Delgado in the sixth. He ended his day with a perfect eighth inning.
 
Pagliarini and Bergevin paced the Stags with three hits apiece. Bucciero, Hibbard, and Mike Handal all picked up two hits.
 
Bo Buckley came in relief of Noviello and tossed a scoreless ninth.
 
Fairfield will play the middle game of their three-game series against the Jaspers on Friday night at 7pm.