POMONA, N.Y. – Dean Ferrara tied his own program and MAAC single-season record with 96 hits by getting the biggest one of them all as he launched an opposite field grand slam to help lead the Fairfield University Baseball team into the MAAC Championship series with an 11-1 victory over Rider.
Bowen Baker went this distance on the mound allowing just one run in his eight innings of work. The Stags will be making their third-straight appearance in the MAAC Finals and will be looking for their first tournament title since 2016.
"The first thing is Bo Baker throwing eight innings with three pitches for strikes and did a great job limiting them on not a great day," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "I'm so happy for Bo and the hitters coming through with some key hits with guys on base."
Ferrara was one of three Fairfield home runs in the contest with
JP Kuczik launching a solo shot in the seventh and
Matthew Bucciero capping the scoring with a three-run shot in the eighth.
Ferrara's grand slam came on an 0-2 pitch as he launched the ball over the short porch in right field to extend the Stags' lead to 6-1. Fairfield plated five runs in that frame, all coming with two outs to break a 1-1 tied score.
Nolan Colby brought in the go-ahead run as her drew a four-pitch walk with the bases loaded. That set up Ferrara's heroics as he connected on his seventh home run of the season.
The Stags added two more runs in the seventh starting with a Kuczik solo shot, his second in as many games in the tournament.
TJ Schmalzle would reach on an error and move to third on a perfectly executed hit and run with
Nick Sturino.
Sean Meth would drive him home on a single up the middle, his second run batted in the game.
Bucciero capped the Fairfield scoring and invoked the 10-run rule with a three-run shot in the eighth. With that home run, Bucciero reached a couple of milestones as he tied the 25-year program career RBI record with his 165th and also became the 11th Stag to reach 200 hits in his career.
Meth got the first Fairfield run on the board in the fourth as he dribbled the ball up the middle which scored Bucciero with the game-tying run.
Fairfield starter
Bowen Baker was spectacular over his eight innings, earning his eighth win of the season. The left-hander allowed one run while scattering eight hits and striking out seven. Included in those punch outs was the 200th of his career as he becomes the seventh Stag all-time to reach that mark.
Kuczik and Ferrara led the Stags with three hits while Meth, Bucciero, and Sturino also tallied multiple hit games.
Fairfield will be appearing in the seventh MAAC Championship series in program history and the fifth in the last six tournaments. The Stags will be looking for their first tournament title since 2016 and their first NCAA Regional appearance since 2021.
The Stags will have to win one game out of a possible two on Championship Sunday, with first pitch scheduled for noon.
