FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University softball scored a single run in five of the last six innings, pushing the Stags to a 5-4 eight-inning win over Manhattan College on Wednesday. The Stags have won four of their last five games, all against Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponents, to reach .500 in conference play at 6-6.
Senior pitcher
Bailey Taylor tossed seven-plus innings to earn her second win in as many days, but collected the decision in unusual fashion. The left hander pitched the first four innings before yielding to the bullpen with a 2-0 lead. Before the fifth inning ended, Taylor was back in the circle after Manhattan recorded five consecutive singles to score three times and take a 3-2 lead. Bailey managed to get out of the inning with no more runs crossing the plate.
Fairfield took the bullpen off the hook with a one-out rally in the bottom of the fifth. After the first hitter was retired,
Charli Warren,
Morgan Sylvestre, and
Allie Bridgman each collected a single to load the bases.
Anna Paravati's fielder's choice chased Warren home with the tying run, bringing the score to 3-3.
After keeping the Jaspers in check for the sixth inning, Fairfield regained the lead in its half of the inning.
Quinn McGonigle reached on an infielder's error and was sacrificed to second by
Cara Kochakian. A ground out sent McGonigle to third base before
Martina Gutierrez sent a single up the middle to push the Stags in front, 4-3.
Manhattan finally picked up a run off Taylor when it pieced together a walk and two single to tie the game at 4-4 in the top of the seventh inning. Taylor tossed five-plus innings of scoreless softball yesterday, giving the Jaspers just one run off the senior hurler in 12.2 innings pitched.
Fairfield came up with the winning rally in the bottom of the eighth inning courtesy of a lead off triple from Kochakian. After
Danica Silvestri was hit by a pitch, Gutierrez grounded out sharply to shortstop to move Silvestri to second base. With runners on second and third, Warren hit a fly ball to left field, just far enough away from the plate to allow Kochakian to beat the tag and score the deciding run.
Taylor scattered six hits and struck out three hitters to earn her fourth win of the season and lowered her ERA to a team-best 2.86. Sylvestre paced the offense with three hits while Warren and Kochakian chipped in with two hits each.
Fairfield continues MAAC play this weekend when it travels to upstate New York for a three-game series with Niagara University. The Stags' next home game is a non-conference single game with Yale University on Wednesday, April 17.
