FAIRFIELD, Conn. – After opening the home schedule with a win on Wednesday, the Fairfield University softball team will host its first Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) opponent this season. The Stags will welcome Manhattan University for a three-game set beginning with a doubleheader on Friday followed by a single game on Saturday.
The two teams were originally scheduled to play on Saturday and Sunday but a forecast of inclement weather forced the series to begin one day earlier.
Fairfield has won its last four games which included a three-game sweep of MAAC foe Mount St. Mary's last weekend. The team opened up its home slate with a 6-1 win over Central Connecticut State University, ending a season-opening road trip of 24 games that sent the program to Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.
The Stags certainly found their swing as of late, averaging nearly eight runs and better than nine hits per outing over this current four-game run. The squad posted double-digit hit performances with 14 in a 13-5 win over The Mount last Saturday and with 10 the win over Central Connecticut.
Charli Warren and
Anna Paravati have paced the team's offense resurgence by accounting for 15 of the 37 hits collected by the team over the last four games. In that time, Warren posted a .538 batting average with seven hits in 13 at-bats while Paravati garnered a .533 hitting percentage with eight hits in 15 at-bats.
Warren, who is just two stolen bases from moving into second on Fairfield's career stolen base list, swiped seven bags in as many attempts to give her 16 for the season and 74 for her career. Paravati added six RBI to raise her team-leading total to 19.
On the season, Fairfield has four batters hitting better than .300 this season, namely
Quinn McGonigle (.358), Warren (.354), Paravati (.350), and
Ava Armuth (.309).
Pitcher
Grace Conrad earned her first collegiate win in the Central Connecticut game, tossing three scoreless innings in relief of starter
Chela Kovar.
Alyssa Weinberg is responsible for posting seven of the staff's nine wins this season in addition to pacing the Stags' pitchers with 88 strikeouts in 80.2 innings. Her strikeout total is best in the MAAC while her 2.34 ERA is third and her seven wins are tied for third among the conference leaders.
Manhattan University brings a 5-18 overall record and a 2-3 MAAC mark into this weekend's action. The Jaspers come off a midweek split at Mount St. Mary's after dropping two of its three-game series with Merrimack College last weekend.
Sophia Kiseloski paces the Jaspers offense with an impressive .338 batting average, posting team-leading totals for doubles (5), home runs (3), and RBI (20). Michayla Rodriguez has also enjoyed success as a run producer this year, crossing home plate a team-best 11 times while also driving in six runs over her 23 appearances.
In the pitching circle, Karissa Spring has been the team's top starting pitcher, getting the nod in 14 of the team's 23 outings this year. She has won four games and has registered 50 strikeouts over her 76.2 innings pitched.
After this weekend's set with Manhattan, Fairfield will host Merrimack for a MAAC doubleheader on Tuesday, April 1 at Alumni Softball Field. First pitch for the twin bill is set for 1 pm.
