STATESBORO, Ga. – The Fairfield University softball team opened the GATA Classic with a split, beginning the day with an 8-5 10-inning victory against Campbell before dropping a 7-1 decision to host Georgia Southern University.
In the first game, the pitchers dominated both lineups as neither team managed to score a run through the seventh inning. Both teams took advantage of the international tie breaker rule which places a runner on second at the start of the inning. The Stags and the Camels scored in each of their three extra-inning at-bats with Fairfield breaking the game open in the 10
th inning.
In that frame, the Stags started the inning with the bases loaded and no outs. Martina Guitierrez brought home the first run when she was earned a walk to put Fairfield in front by a 3-2 score. After a strikeout,
Morgan Sylvestre was struck by a pitch to double up the lead to 4-2.
The next three hitters all reached base – an RBI single from
Anna Paravati, a hit by pitch from
Delaney Whieldon, and an RBI single from
Faith Camilleri – that push the lead to 7-2. Fairfield's final run came home courtesy of a sacrifice fly from
Ava Armuth.
Campbell battled back in the bottom of the inning, scoring three runs off a pair of run-scoring singles and a double steal that included home. Pitcher
Alyssa Weinberg finished off her 10-inning complete game by inducing two fly outs to right field, ending the game in favor of Fairfield, 8-5.
Weinberg did not allow an earned run until the 10
th inning, surrendering just two out of the Camels' five runs scored. She scattered seven hits and fanned 15 batters to record her second win in three decisions this season. Armuth paced the Stags' offense with three hits while
Charli Warren and
Quinn McGonigle added a pair of hits in the win.
The second game saw Fairfield push a run across in the top of the first against host Georgia Southern University. The run resulted from when Warren began the game with a bunt base hit. After stealing second base, she came around on Paravati's double to make the score 1-0.
The Eagles took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning, using an errant throw to plate the first run and a bases-loaded walk to register the second run. Georgia Southern added a run in the next two innings beginning with a passed ball in the third inning to make the score 3-1. In the fourth inning, the home team secured its fourth run with another bases-loaded base on balls.
The scoring came to an end with a three-run homer in the sixth inning which came off the bat of Faith Barth, giving her four RBI for the game.
Fairfield returns to action on Saturday with a pair of games, starting with a 10 am game against Campbell followed with a 5:30 pm match up with Oakland University. The Stags conclude the three-day event with a Sunday morning contest against Oakland.
