FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Baseball team clinched an important series win as they took the middle game of the three-game set over Canisius with an 8-3 victory on Saturday. The Stags took the lead with a five-run sixth inning which featured four-straight singles.
"It was good to see our hitters stay patient through five innings where our hits didn't find the grass," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "We stayed with it and in the middle innings finally exploded and got some runs. It's good to see our pitching later in the game nailing it down and doing a good job coming out of the pen."
For the second-straight game, the Stags (28-14, 11-3 MAAC) had to mount a comeback as they trailed 1-0 in the sixth inning. Once again, they started that comeback with two outs. With runners on second and third,
Ryan Strollo gave the Stags the lead as he grounded a two-run single up the middle. That would be the first of four-straight singles for the Stags.
Griffin Watson kept the rally going with a sharp single to third.
Noah Lucier would add a run with a RBI single to right and
Charlie Pagliarini brought home two more with a single to right center.
Canisius would get two more runs back to put the score at 5-3 in the seventh. Fairfield would add three more insurance runs in the eighth highlighted by a Watson two-run single up the middle. Lucier would cap the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right.
Colin McVeigh battled through 5.2 innings allowing just one run on four hits.
Jack Erbeck would come in as the Stags' first reliever and got out of bases loaded jam by getting Max Grant to strikeout swinging to end the frame.
Bowen Baker would pick up the two-inning save with two perfect innings. He struck out two and needed 24 pitches in picking up his fourth save of the season.
Watson led the offense with three hits and two runs scored. Four different Stags picked up two RBI in the win with Watson, Lucier, Pagliarini, and Strollo all driving in a pair.
The Stags will go for the sweep of the series tomorrow at noon.
