FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Heading into this weekend, the Fairfield University softball team was on the outside looking in when it came to the 2023 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament which takes places next weekend. By the end of this weekend, the Stags not only made the tournament but moved up in the standings.

Fairfield followed up yesterday's sweep of Siena College with another sweep on Saturday, defeating Marist College by 3-2 and 5-3 scores at Alumni Softball Field. The day was also a celebration of the Stags' senior class, namely Megan Forbes, Samantha Lindsay, and Haley Updegraff, along with two graduate students in Madison Robicheau and Kaitlin Hoffman who played their last home game.

"This is a special class who each made their contributions in different ways," Head Coach Julie Brzezinski said. "Today was a great way to celebrate all that they have done for our program and it was nice to get a couple of wins for them."

The quintet had a big part in the team's two wins today, beginning with Updegraff registering five hits in the twin bill with three hits in the opener and two in the night cap. Lindsay earned her ninth win of the season but pitching four-plus innings before yielding to Bailey Taylor who finished the game for her first save.

Robicheau added a two-run single that broke game two open, pushing the lead to 2-1 to 4-1 in third inning. Forbes reached base three times in the two games with a single and a pair of walks. Hoffman brought home the team's first run of the afternoon in game 1 with a single that tied the score at 1-1 in the opening inning.

While the upperclassmen contributed, a few of the underclassmen were also in the mix throughout the afternoon. Pitcher Alyssa Weinberg came in relief of Ally Bridgman in game one and pitched six scoreless innings in the 10-inning contest. She scattered three hits and struck out seven in earning her sixth victory of the season. Delaney Whieldon continued her dominance in the batter's box, adding three hits in four plate appearances during the opener before reaching base two more times on walks in game two.

The Stags needed wins today in order to stay relevant in the MAAC standings so the first game was crucial toward that goal. Fairfield trailed 2-1 going into the sixth inning when Kasey Sekula came to the plate and delivered a game-tying single that brought the score to 2-2. In the bottom of the 10^th inning, the infielder came to the plate one more time and lofted a base hit just beyond the first baseman which was just enough to chase home Updegraff with the deciding run.

"We had our back against the wall coming into the weekend but the kids just remained focused and took care of what they needed to do," Coach Brzezinski said. "They really refused to lose by doing all things that were necessary to pull out these wins with clutch hitting and good pitching."

With five straight wins to end the regular season, the Stags hope those traits will follow them as they begin play in the MAAC Tournament on Wednesday. Pairings and game times will be announced by the MAAC.