GREENVILLE, N.C. – On opening day, the Fairfield University softball team dropped a pair of games at the Pirate Clash, but put together two solid efforts against teams that already had games under their collective belts.
The Stags dropped a 7-1 decision against Marshall University but the game was tied at 1-1 in the fifth before the Thundering Herd tacked on a run in the bottom of the fifth and four in the sixth inning. In the second game, Fairfield looked to upset unbeaten East Carolina University, playing its host to a scoreless game through seven innings. After scoring in the top of the eighth, Fairfield yielded two runs, one unearned, to fall by a 2-1 count.
"I like the way we came out with controlled energy today," Head Coach
Julie Brzezinski said. "We received two strong pitching performances today.
Allie Bridgman kept Marshall off balance for five innings and really competed.
Alyssa Weinberg was awesome against a big hitting team in East Carolina by striking out eight batters and setting the tone for our defense."
Sophomore
Quinn McGonigle was responsible for the Stags' lone run in the opener against Marshall, tying the game with a solo homer in the fifth inning. Marshall responded with a pair of infield hits with one of the runners coming around to score on a sacrifice fly.
The home team broke the game open in the sixth inning, as the first five hitters stroked hits including a two-run home run that resulted in a four-run inning. McGonigle managed to work out a walk to try and spark a rally in the seventh inning but no other Stags managed to reach base.
A few hours later, the Stags returned to the diamond to play East Carolina, a team that won all seven of its previous game by averaging over 11 runs per game. Pitcher
Alyssa Weinberg held her own against the Pirates, yielding four hits and issuing two free passes through seven innings but not surrendering a run. The Stags offense picked up its only hit through those same seven innings when
Megan Forbes ran out an infield single. The inning came to an end when she was thrown out at second on an attempted steal.
Fairfield posted the game's first run in the top of the eighth as the international tie breaker was in effect, placing a runner at second to start the inning. After McGonigle sacrificed the runner to third base, Forbes came to the plate and brought home the run with a grounder to short to give the Stags a 1-0 edge.
The lead was erased in the bottom of the inning after East Carolina registered four hits, bringing home the tying run on a sacrifice fly and the game winner on a base hit. Weinberg went the distance, fanning better than a batter per game with eight through her seven-plus innings pitched.
The Stags will play two more games on Saturday as part of the Pirate Classic, battling East Carolina at 3 pm before taking on Longwood at 5:30 pm.
