March 25, 2005
FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University baseball team opens Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) action this weekend against Marist College. As of Friday morning, the games are scheduled to take place at the McCann Baseball Field on the Poughkeepsie campus.
Saturday, the teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader with first pitch at 12 p.m. The series will conclude on Monday with a single nine-inning game at 12 p.m. However, due to the snow fall earlier this week, game dates, and times could change. Please check back to www.fairfieldstags.com throughout the weekend for further updates.
Also please check the Fairfield University Athletics Hotline at (203) 254-4000, ext 4214, and press option 2 for game postponement information. Updates will be provided throughout the weekend, as weather warrants.
Fairfield enters this weekend with a 2-10 overall record; however, the Stags are coming off an 18-13 come-from-behind victory on the road at St. John's on Tuesday afternoon. The 2005 home opener was slated to be Wednesday against Central Connecticut, was postponed due to the weather.
In the St. John's game, the Stags scored four runs in the top of the eighth inning, to break at 13-13 tie, to come away with the victory.
Sophomore Michael Colucci tossed six innings of relief to record his first win of the season. He entered the game in the bottom of the fourth inning, after the Stags crossed the plate nine times in the top half of the inning.
At first he was a little shaky, giving up three Red Storm runs, but he settled down to give up only three hits, two walks and six strikeouts on the hill for the Stags.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, St. John's took a 13-12 lead, but the Stags tied the game in the top of the seventh, when freshman Adam Chilelli tripled and scored off a double down the left field line from junior Jim Girolamo.
Then junior David Soucy singled and junior Dewey Raymond walked, which brought Brian Rudolph to the plate, where he smacked a double down the left field line, bringing in pinch-runner Albie DeSimone with what proved to be the winning run.
Sophomore Brian Schappert ripped a two-run double to left field, giving Fairfield a 16-13 lead. Schappert scored on an error, and Raymond tripled to right-field in the top of the ninth inning, to give Fairfield its first win against a Big East opponent since, beating Connecticut on the road last season.
Rudolph had an outstanding day at the plate for the Stags, finishing 4-for-6 with four runs scored and four runs batted in. In the process, he smashed his first career homerun, and fifth career double.
Marist enters this weekend, with a 1-11 overall record. The Red Foxes, have taken on some pretty hefty competition in the early portion of the season, including a three-game series against the number-one team in the country, Tulane.
In the first game of the Tulane series the Stags were leading, 4-0 before Tulane scored four unanswered runs to tie the game and send it into extra innings. It got a walk-off grand slam to avoid the upset, winning 8-4.
Following the first MAAC series of the season, Fairfield is scheduled to travel to Central Connecticut State on Tuesday, March 29 for a 3 p.m. first pitch.
