LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. – Fairfield starters John Signore and Gavin Wallace combined to allow just one run over 15 innings to pitch the defending MAAC Champions and current league frontrunners to a doubleheader sweep at Siena Field. The Stags defeated Siena Baseball by scores of 7-1 and 2-0 to clinch the series in a rematch of last season’s MAAC Championship Series participants.
Game One: Fairfield 7, Siena 1
Signore scattered nine hits over eight strong innings, with his lone mistake a solo home run to Siena (14-20-1, 5-6) freshman rightfielder Zach Durfee in the seventh. Meanwhile the Fairfield (20-15, 9-2) bats pounded out 14 hits to cruise to the victory in the series opener.
The Stags struck first with a pair of runs in the second, and then opened things up with a four-run seventh to pull away. Fairfield sent nine men to the plate during the decisive seventh, recording five hits highlighted by a two-run single from Dan Hopkins.
Junior first baseman Joe Drpich and Durfee each accounted for a pair of the Saints’ nine hits. Durfee’s home run was the first of his collegiate career.
All nine Stags starters recorded hits, including three who posted multi-hit efforts. Troy Scocca led the way with a 3-5 performance with a pair of runs scored.
Game Two: Fairfield 2, Siena 0 (7)
Wallace went the distance allowing just three hits while striking out four and walking just one. He recorded his conference-leading sixth complete game and fourth shutout, while lowering his ERA to just 1.75 for the spring.
Siena freshman hurler Brendan White also pitched well, allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits over six innings in being saddled with the hard luck loss.
Fairfield scratched across a run thanks in part of a pair of first inning errors. Kevin Radziewicz tacked on an insurance run with an RBI single in the third for the surging Stags which have won 12 of 14.
Drpich, senior centerfielder Dan Swain, and freshman designated hitter Nico Ramos accounted for the three hits for the Saints which have now dropped four of their last five at Siena Field.
Siena will try to salvage the series and even its overall conference record in tomorrow’s series finale which gets underway at noon.
