May 6, 2007
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Junior Brian Rudolph (Washington Twp., N.J.) hit a three-run homerun while the Fairfield pitching staff held Manhattan to just four hits as the Stags defeated the Jaspers, 6-3, to hand Manhattan its first conference loss of the season. The Stags, in their final home game of the season, improve to 14-26 overall and 8-12 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) while the Jaspers fall to 30-13 on the season and 19-1 in the league.
Rookie Jason Rago (Fairfield, Conn.) had an outstanding day at the plate, reaching base safely four times on the day by going 3-for-3 with a walk and a run scored. Junior Mike Weiner (Easton, Conn.) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored while classmate Peter Allen (Mamaroneck, N.Y.) went 1-for-4 with two runs batted in and a run scored.
Junior Ryan Calabrese (Wantagh, N.Y.) picked up the win for the Stags after scattering three hits over 7.1 innings with seven strikeouts. Freshman Mike Fournier (Fairfield, Conn.) earned his fourth save of the year after tossing 1.1 hitless and scoreless innings with two strikeouts. Freshman Tom Costigan (6-2) took the loss for the Jaspers after giving up four runs, three earned, on seven hits with 10 strikeouts in seven innings of work.
Rudolph's game-winning homer to left center capped off a four-run sixth inning for the Stags. Trailing 1-0 after a solo homerun by Eric Nieto, the Stags put runners on first and second with one out in the sixth inning. Allen reached on a fielder's choice while sophomore Dave Jermine (North Haven, Conn.) touched home a throwing error by Manhattan on the same play to knot the game. Weiner followed with a single to right field to set the table for Rudolph.
Manhattan came back in the top of the eighth inning by pushing two runs across the plate. With one out, Calabrese walked Rene Ruiz and Matt Rizzotti and was relieved by senior Michael Colucci (Bayonne, N.J.). After Colucci plunked Nick Derba to load the bases, he was able to get Mike Garcia to foul out. The next batter, Dom Lombardi, then doubled down the left field line to score Ruiz and Rizzotti to pull Manhattan within 4-3. That would be all the runs the Jaspers would plate as Fournier shut the door.
Fairfield got the pair of runs back in the bottom half of the inning off of reliever Brian Pendergast. The freshman walked the first two batters, Jermine and Rago, to start the inning. Allen followed with a single to left field to score Jermine. Weiner then singled through the left side to score Rago and make the score 6-3.
Prior to the start of the game, Colucci, along with fellow seniors Ed Kamintzky (Astoria, N.Y.) and Philip Espinosa (Commack, N.Y.) were honored before the game for their four years with the Stags.
Fairfield has two MAAC series left to the season. The Stag will travel to Marist College, May 12-13, and to Rider, May 17-18.
