March 11, 2004
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University baseball team looks to earn its first victory of the 2004 season, as it heads to Bradenton, Fla., for a five-game southern swing. The Stags will battle Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Bucknell, and Dartmouth during its spring recess, from classes.
Fairfield opens its Sunshine State slate against Northern Illinois on March 14, at the Baseball Academy. Fairfield opened the 2004 season, last weekend dropping a pair of games, at UMBC. UNI is 5-4 as of last Sunday, after falling in two of three games at the University of New Orleans, 7-1 on March 7.
In the opening game of the season, the Stags fell behind 4-0, through five innings, as the Retrievers held the Stags to just one hit. However, the Fairfield bats would awaken, as sophomore Doug Anderson and senior Mike Wray, smacked back-to-back doubles, to cut the lead to 4-2. In the Fairfield seventh, the Stags tied the game with a senior Jim Sheridan lead-off homerun and an RBI double by senior Nick Hudyma with a run scoring double. Andy Lynn would bring home Hudyma to give the Stags a 5-4 lead.
After a 40-minute rain delay, the Retrievers would take advantage of key Fairfield mistakes, and an RBI double to put UMBC in front 6-5. UMBC added a pair of runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.
In the top of the ninth, Fairfield would cross the plate again, as senior Antuan Barnett ripped a double to left field, to plate Hudyma. Unfortunately for the Stags the rally would end, with a game-ending double play.
Hudyma led the Stags at the plate, going 2-for-5, with a run batted in and two runs scored. Barnett and Lynn also went 2-for-5, and each had a run batted in. The Stags pounded out 10 hits on the afternoon, five of which were doubles.
In the series finale, the Stags managed only one run on the afternoon, falling to UMBC 6-1. In the top of the fourth inning on Sunday, Anderson reached base on an error by the UMBC third baseman. Barnett came to the plate, and laced a triple scoring Anderson for Fairfield's lone run.
The games with Northern Illinois, Miami (Ohio), Bucknell, and Dartmouth will be the first time the Stags have faced them on the diamond. The Stags lead the all-time series with Columbia 5-4.
First pitch for the Northern Illinois is slated for 9 a.m. on March 14. The next day the Stags will face Miami of Ohio, a school which, current Fairfield Assistant Coach Bill Consiglio earned his master's degree and was part of the baseball coaching staff. First pitch is 7 p.m. at Manatee Community College.
On March 16, Fairfield returns to the Baseball Academy, with a match-up against Bucknell of the Patriot League at 2:30 p.m. The 10th all-time meeting with the Columbia Lions will take place at Lakewood Ranch, beginning at 10 a.m. on St. Patrick's Day. On March 18, the Stags will close out its southern trip with Dartmouth at 3 p.m. at the Baseball Academy.
Barnett was steady for the Stags on the opening weekend, hitting a team-leading .333 to date. He has three hits, including a double and a triple, while knocking in two runners in the first two games of the season. Barnett also has a .667 slugging percentage, and a .333 on-base percentage. Sophomore John Scaife is second on the team in hitting with a .286 batting average, and has a .429 slugging percentage, and is tied for the team lead with a .375 on base percentage.
On the hill, although senior Pablo Tamayo was roughed up for four runs on 10 hits, only one of those runs was earned, and he sports a 1.50 earned run average. Senior Tom Maisano moved into fifth-place on the school's all-time strikeout list with four in the first game of the season. Maisano moved past Rob Elinskas (1994-97) who was in fifth with 141 punch outs.
Fairfield opens the home portion of its 2004 schedule on Saturday, March 20 with a doubleheader against Stony Brook. First pitch against the Seawolves is slated for 12 p.m. on Alumni Diamond.
