FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Down to his final strike in the top of the ninth inning,
JP Kuczik launched a go-ahead two-run homer to turn a 6-5 deficit into an eventual 7-6 final score.
Ryan Maiorano finished the game by getting out of a two-on nobody out jam by striking out the side for his fifth save of the season. With the win, the Stags have now won eight-straight MAAC contests to push their conference record to 8-2.
"JP came through with clutch home runs," Head Coach
Bill Currier said. "TJ chimed in early in the game to put us ahead. Engle got better as he went along and gave us a valuable start for his first conference game."
The Stags' dramatic ninth inning rally started with two outs and nobody on before
Luke Nomura kept the team alive with a single. That set the stage for Kuczik's heroics and he took center stage launching a 1-2 pitch over the left field wall to grab a 7-6 advantage. The long ball was Kuczik's second of the game while also going yard in the sixth.
Maiorano walked the tightrope for his fifth save of the year with Merrimack starting the frame with back-to-back singles. Mairaono would get the next hitter to strikeout swinging before tossing a wild pitch that advanced the tying and go-ahead runs into scoring position. He would bear down and get the next two hitters to strike out to preserve Fairfield's most dramatic win of the season.
Fairfield used the long ball to score six of their seven runs in the contest, starting with a
TJ Schmalzle three-run shot in the third to give the Stags their first lead of the day 4-3.
Schmalzle, Nomura, and Kuczik all recorded multiple hits in the win.
On the mound, the Stags' pitching staff combined for 19 strikeouts on just four walks. Fairfield's starter
Harrison Engle punched out a career-high nine in his five innings.
Jimmy Mulvaney struck out four of the five outs he recorded.
Alex Frank and Maiorano each tallied three.
With the win, the Stags boost their conference record to 8-2 with their eighth-straight victory and putting them in third in the MAAC standings. The team has now won 13 of their last 15 outings.
The two teams will play the middle game of the series tomorrow at 1pm.
