POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Matt Bucciero hit a go-ahead home run in the top of the 10th and
Ben Alekson got out of a bases loaded jam in the ninth to highlight a doubleheader sweep for the Fairfield University Baseball team at Marist. The Stags used three RBI from
Dean Ferrara for a 7-4 victory in the opener and had many clutch moments in their 11-10 win in the nightcap.
Game One: Fairfield 7, Marist 4
The Stags scored the first five runs of the game with Ferrara driving in three with singles in the second and seventh innings to open up a 5-0 lead.
Colin McVeigh held Marist off the scoreboard through the first six frames with seven strikeouts but ran into trouble in the seventh as the Red Foxes scratched across three runs to put the score at 5-3.
Fairfield would get a little more breathing room with a
Zach Selinger RBI single in the eighth and later scoring on a wild pitch.
Ferrara led a trio of Stags with multiple hits as the MAAC hit leader added three to put his season total to 77.
Ethan Hibbard and
Nick Sturino also picked up a pair for the Stags.
Peter Phillips came in for relief and logged 2.2 strong innings allowing just one run in the ninth inning.
Game Two: Fairfield 11, Marist 10 (10 innings)
The Stags trailed 8-6 in the eighth in the nightcap before making the first of many clutch plays in the contest.
Paul Catalano led off the frame with a walk and Ferrara followed with a single.
Luke Nomura picked up the big hit with a go-ahead three-run homer to put the Stags up 9-8.
Marist would regain a 10-9 lead with two runs in the eighth, with the Stags facing their last at-bats. Sturino led off the inning with a single and would be sacrificed to second by
JP Kuczik.
Tyler Kipp would pick up the big hit with a game-tying pinch hit RBI double to knot the game at 10-10.
The Red Foxes loaded the bases with two outs in the bottom of the ninth, looking for a walk off. Alekson came in from the bullpen and getting the final out with a grounder to first.
With two outs in the top of the tenth, Bucciero launched the go-ahead solo shot to make the score 11-10. Alekson would close out the game by pitching a perfect 10th.
Ferrara led the Stags with four hits in the nightcap for seven combined hits in the twin bill. He has now collected 80 hits on the year, one of four Stags to ever achieve that feat.
Kuczik also launched his third homer of the season, a three-run shot in the fifth.
Fairfield has now won seven-straight and took over the first-place spot in the MAAC with a 16-2 conference mark.
The Stags will next travel to second place Niagara next weekend starting with a Friday contest at 3pm.
