FORT MEYERS, Fla. – The Fairfield University Baseball team enjoyed an historic Sunday as Blake Helmstetter tossed seven no-hit innings and Peter Ostensen finished the job as Fairfield recorded the fifth no-hitter in program history in a 12-0 victory at Florida Gulf Coast. At the plate, Ethan Hibbard also made history by tying the school's single game record with nine RBI which consisted of a three-run homer and a grand slam. With the win, the Stags take the series from FGCU, their first series win of the season.
 
"Blake had good command of three pitches and working both sides of the plate," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "It was the second great start this weekend to join Bowen Baker's effort Saturday."
 
"It felt great to go out there and give my team a shot to win on a Sunday rubber match against a very good FGCU team," Helmstetter said. "We have had a very slow start obviously this season but have shown no signs of giving up. I feel that the results of today reflect the amount of preparation and work that I have put in this pre-season. This is a big accomplishment for my teammates and myself. I have dealt with plenty of adversity this year and it feels great to overcome. As a senior leader, my goal was to put my team back on track as a winning program and that's what we did."
 
Helmstetter was outstanding in his seven innings of work, retiring the first 18 batters he faced and allowed just one base runner on a hit by pitch to start the seventh. The southpaw struck out nine batters in his seven frames while throwing just 86 pitches and 61 strikes. The nine punch outs is the most in his Fairfield career and as two shy of his personal-best 11.
 
Ostensen would be called upon to finish Fairfield's no-hit bid and completed the job with a 1-2-3 eighth inning as the Stags would be victorious with the 10-run rule.
 
The no-hitter is the first combined no-no in program history and the fifth overall. It is the second in the last 45 years with Jake Noviello tossing his perfect game in 2022.
 
At the plate, it was all Hibbard who displayed his power with two homers and a double in his four-hit day. He accounted for the first six runs for the Stags with a three-run opposite field homer in the third, a RBI double in the fifth, and a sacrifice fly in the seventh. He would complete his career day with a grand slam in the eighth.
 
The nine RBI is tied for the second most in a Division I game this season. It also brings his season total to 23, which would rank in the top-5 in the country before the start of play today.
 
Also, with his second four-hit game of the season, Hibbard is now batting .471 on the year which would put him on-top of the MAAC.
 
Along with Hibbard, Ryan Strollo and Dean Ferrara also picked up two hits.
 
The Stags completed their Spring Break trip with three wins in their last four games and will look to continue that momentum when they return to the East Coast for four games in a three-day span, starting with a Friday game at Army West Point. The Stags will also open up play and Don and Chris Cook Field on Saturday with a pair of games against Army West Point and Fordham starting at 11:30am