FORT MEYERS, Fla. – Matthew Bucciero's RBI double in the top of the tenth brought home what proved to be the game-winning run and the Fairfield University Baseball team took the series over Florida Gulf Coast with an 11-10 victory in the rubber game. Five different Stags drove in at least one run with Preseason All-MAAC selection
Tyler Kipp leading the bunch with four. Freshman
Brendon Miller picked up his first collegiate win with 2.1 shutout innings, striking out four of the nine batters he faced.
"It was a windy day and we knew 10 runs might not be enough," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "Great job by Miller finishing up and we played good defense all weekend and that proved the difference today with some timely hitting."
Fairfield had to rally from a one-run deficit in the ninth with
Nick Sturino providing one of the biggest at-bats in the game, working a nine-pitch at-bat to walk in the game-tying run.
The Stags (2-1) jumped out to a 3-0 first inning lead, capped by a Kipp RBI single and a
JP Kuczik sacrifice fly. That lead, however, would last only until the bottom half of the first frame as FGCU plated five runs while smashing a pair of homers.
After that power display,
TJ Schmalzle showed power of his own with a solo shot in the second to the deficit to one-run.
Fairfield's biggest inning came in the fifth inning when they brought in four runs and retook the lead at 8-6. Bucciero started the run parade with a RBI single up the middle on the eighth pitch that he saw in the at-bat. Kipp followed with a two-run triple, plating Bucciero and
Sean Meth. Kuczik would follow with his second sacrifice fly of the game on a 3-2 pitch.
In that frame, the Stags scored all four of their runs on two-strike pitches while plating a pair on a 3-2 count.
FGCU would rally with a pair of runs in the bottom half of the frame, but Kipp would once again give the Stags the lead with a RBI single, his third run-scoring hit of the game.
Despite all the offense, the Stags found themselves trailing 10-9 going into the bottom of the ninth. Meth and Bucciero would begin the frame with singles and Kipp reached base on an error on his sacrifice bunt.
With the bases loaded, Sturino provided one of the biggest at-bats of the game as he worked a nine-pitch walk while fouling off a pair of pitches to bring home the game-tying run.
In extras, Ferrara led off the tenth with his game-best fourth hit with a single up the middle. He would advance to second on a sacrifice bunt by
Luke Nomura and then scurried to third on a wild pitch. Bucciero would line a 1-1 pitch into center, plating Ferrara in what proved to be the game-winning run.
Miller allowed two base runners in the bottom half of the tenth but struck out a pair and ended the game on a groundout to second to secure his first collegiate win.
Ferrara led the Stags with four hits as the MAAC Preseason Player of the Year collected seven hits in the opening series. Bucciero and Kipp followed with three base knocks.
After getting back from Florida, the Stags will travel to Virginia for three games in Richmond, starting with a Friday morning game against Lehigh at 10:30am.
