PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – The Fairfield University Baseball team brought 17 batters to the plate while scoring 11 runs in the eighth inning, to highlight a season-high 19-run outburst in a 19-5 victory over Saint Joseph's. Nine different Stags tallied a hit and a run in the offensive barrage while seven different relief pitchers combined for one earned run in the final seven frames.
 
"We've had too many close games decided by one run," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "It's good to see the players keep working hard to improve on our early season inconsistent play. They kept believing in good work habits and accountability throughout the close games this far."
 
The Stags trailed by four runs as the Hawks started the afternoon with a four-spot in the first inning powered by a pair of home runs.
 
Fairfield would cut the deficit in half in the third when Paul Catalano brought home a run with a triple and Dean Ferrara followed with a RBI groundout.
 
The 4-2 score line would carry to the seventh inning when the Stags' bats came to life. In the final two frames, the Stags would score 17 of their 19 total runs.
 
Ethan Hibbard had the first big hit of the frame with a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 4-4. Fairfield would then be helped by three-straight errors which plated three runs. Nick Sturino capped the six-run inning with a RBI single to left.
 
Fairfield then exploded for 11 runs while bringing 17 batters to the plate in the eighth. Payten Wawruck had the first RBI hit with a safety squeeze play that brought Matt Bergevin home. After a walk to load the bases, Luke Nomura also drew a free pass to drive in a run. Catalano would clear the bases with a three-run double and open the Fairfield advantage to 13-5.
 
The Stags would load the bases again before Hibbard would be the one to clear the bases, bringing home all three runners on a double. Wawruck would cap the frame with a two-run double down the line.
 
On the mound, the Stags used seven relief pitchers who would combine to allow just one run in the final seven frames. Chris DiFiore, Grant Smeltzer, Matt Kalfas, Emmett Tolis, Aidan Colagrande, and Peter Phillips all tossed scoreless innings with Phillips striking out all three batters he faced in a perfect eighth.
 
The game would be called due to impending darkness.
 
Nine different Stags tallied a hit and scored a run, led by Hibbard's four hits and five RBI. Bergevin smacked three hits and scored three runs. Catalano drove in four runs and scored three times out of the nine spot in the batting order.
 
The Stags will continue their Spring Break trip at Florida Gulf Coast for a three-game series starting on Friday at 6:30pm.