FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Fairfield University Baseball team shut down the Niagara Purple Eagles by an 11-1 final score to take the season series on Senior Day on a beautiful day at Don and Chris Cook Field. Graduate student Bowen Baker was at the forefront of the win with a seven-inning complete game on just 82 pitches while five different Stags drove in a run in the victory. The win puts Fairfield's conference record to 21-6 to stay in first-place in the MAAC.
 
"Certainly the focus of the day was Bo Baker who was very economical in his seven innings," Head Coach Bill Currier said. "He stayed ahead in counts and only ended up with 92 pitches. Certainly the clutch home runs were really good and we had a number of players have some clutch hits with men on base."
 
The Stags (36-14; 21-6 MAAC) plated just one run the first time through the lineup coming on a TJ Schmalzle solo homer in the second. Fairfield would score most of their runs in the middle innings, plating 10 from the fourth through sixth frames.
 
Sean Meth had the first big hit with a two-out, two-run single to center in the fourth to make the score 3-0. The Stags got two runners on in the fifth on a Billy Sullivan hit by pitch and a Luke Nomura walk setting the stage for Matthew Bucciero who drove the ball the other way just over the right field wall for his 11th homer of the year.
 
The Stags would load the bases with nobody out in the sixth allowing the MAAC's hit leader Dean Ferrara to bring home a pair with a single to right center. After a pitching change, Nomura would drive the first pitch he saw into center for a two-run single and put the game at 10-0. Bucciero followed with a sacrifice fly to cap Fairfield's 11-run scoring.
 
That's more than Baker needed as he tossed the complete seven innings very efficiently. He needed just 51 pitches to get through five innings where he allowed just one single and a walk. The only run he allowed was on a solo shot with two outs in the seventh. The left-hander would pick up his seventh win of the season allowing just three hits with four strikeouts in his seven frames.
 
Six different Stags picked up a hit with Ferrara, Tyler Kipp, and Meth all recording multiple hits. Bucciero led the squad with four RBI.
 
The series win is Fairfield's 25th-straight home series win and clinches a top-two seed, and a bye, in the MAAC Championships.
 
The Stags have one more non-conference home game scheduled for Tuesday at 3:30pm against LIU.