NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. -- The Fairfield University softball team closed outs its first three-game series in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play with a 13-4 win over Merrimack College on Sunday. The win pushes the Stags to 3-2 in conference play which includes a doubleheader sweep over the Warriors on Saturday.

Fairfield opened the afternoon with five runs in the top of the first inning with four different student-athletes collecting an RBI hit. The Stags pushed home the first run of the day when Anna Paravati singled home Ava Armuth, who opened the game by drawing a walk and stealing second. After Delaney Whieldon stroked a single and Quinn McGonigle walked to load the bases, Sarah Bielski brought home the second run with a single. Sammie Dougherty was next in the batter's box, and she lined a single to right field which chased home two more to bring the score to 4-0. Martina Gutierrez closed out the first inning with her run-scoring base hit, providing the team with a 5-0 lead.

Merrimack found some success in its half of the inning, piecing together a single from Jamie Calkins followed by a double from Madeline Arvai which plated the team's first run. The Warriors went on to outscore Fairfield by a 2-1 count over the next three innings that allowed the home team to stay close at 6-3 after four innings.

The Stags found their stride once again with five more runs in the fifth inning, stringing together four hits in the frame. All five runs came off three extra base hits, starting with Bielski's RBI triple that sent home McGonigle. Alivia Macaluso was next in line, and she responded with a run-scoring double that pushed the score to 8-3. Paravati highlighted the inning when she cleared the bases with a double that added three more runs bringing the score to 11-3. Merrimack managed to get one run back in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Fairfield closed out the scoring with two more runs in the top of the sixth inning off a sacrifice fly from Dougherty and a solo home run by Gutierrez, providing the Stags with the final margin of victory. 

Alyssa Weinberg and Peyton Shields combined for the six-inning win with Weinberg tossing the first inning plus. The senior left hander allowed two runs off three hits before handing the ball off to Shields. She completed the game by going 4.2 innings, scattering five hits and fanning three batters to earn her second win of the campaign.

Fairfield will return to the diamond on Wednesday, March 18 for a non-conference game with Army West Point before hosting Mount St. Mary's for a three-game set in MAAC play over the weekend.