Box Score

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - The Fairfield University baseball team saw their late-inning rally fall short as Northeastern eked out the 5-4 win this afternoon at Chain of Lakes Stadium.

Trailing 5-3 in the bottom of the ninth, rookie Mark Skrapits (Bronx, N.Y.) singled down the left field line to start the inning. Classmate Ryan Furbeck (Oakland, N.J.) then beat out single to the first to put runners at first and second with no outs. Junior Matt Tiagwad (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) advanced the runners on a sac bunt followed by sophomore Tucker Nathans (Warwick, N.Y.) who plated Skrapits on a ground out to second. The rally fell short as Northeastern shortstop Ryan McGuire snagged a rifled line drive to end the game.

The Huskies (4-1), winners of four straight, carved out two runs on four hits in the top of the first inning to take the early 2-0 lead. Fairfield (0-3) threatened in the bottom half of the frame with two on and one out, but the Stags could not push the runners across the plate. A Fairfield error in the top of the second led to three more Northeastern runs in the inning to give the Huskies a 5-0 advantage.

Sophomore Carmine DeVito (Plainview, N.Y.) put the Stags on the board in the bottom of the seventh as he slid safely home on a wild pitch. DeVito had opened the inning by doubling to center and followed by stealing third. Furbeck made the score 5-2 as he plated Chris Horning (Potomac, Md.) on a fielder's choice. After swiping second, Furbeck came around to score one batter later on an RBI single by Nathans.

The Stags put two runners on in the bottom of the eighth but Fairfield was unable to score. The Huskies put runners at the corners with two outs in the top of the ninth, but the Stags were able to hold them off.

Junior Scott Gussaroff (Lloyd Harbor, N.Y.) took the loss for the Stags, going seven innings, striking out five batters while allowing five runs, four earned, on 11 hits. Rookie Sam Robertson (Ridgefield, Conn.) surrendered just one hit and a walk in two scoreless innings of relief.

JT Ross (1-0) got the win scattering four hits and striking out five in six scoreless innings. Jeff Thompson picked up the save for the Huskies.

At the plate, Nathans went 3-for-4 with a walk and two RBI while Tiagwad went 2-for-4 for the Stags. Northeastern leadoff man Matt Miller led the way for the Huskies, going 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.

Fairfield is back in action tomorrow, March 4, against Maine.