May 7, 2003
On Deck... The Fairfield University baseball team returns to Alumni Diamond this weekend, as Iona College comes to town for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) series. The Stags enter the weekend with a 6-29-1 overall record, and a 4-16 mark in the MAAC.
All-Time vs. Iona... Iona holds a three game lead in the long running series 48-45. The Stags took two-of-three from the Gaels last season.
About Iona... Iona enters this weekend's games with an 11-9 mark in the MAAC. The Gaels currently sit in sixth place in the MAAC standings. Manhattan is ahead of them with an 11-8 mark, and Niagara is in the fourth spot with a 12-8 conference mark.
Last Time Out... Rider defeated the Fairfield University baseball team, on Sunday afternoon, 8-3, to complete a three-game Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) series sweep, at Richard F. Daly Field.
Rider (18-22, 11-10 MAAC) scored four runs in the third inning on four hits to take a 7-0 lead, the biggest hit of the inning a two-run triple by senior David Sokolowski.
Fairfield (6-29-1, 4-16 MAAC) struck with a run in the top of the sixth inning off the bat of sophomore Greg Batista who doubled down the left field line to bring home Mark Geanuleas for the Stags first run of the afternoon.
The Stags would add another run in the top of the eighth inning when freshman John Scaife brought home junior Mike Wray with a double to left centerfield. Junior Antuan Barnett would also get into the action hitting a homerun in the top of the ninth inning.
Mike Rakoczy would collect the win for Rider, pitching into the ninth inning. The Stags used four pitchers on the afternoon with starter Tim Dugan taking his third loss of the season.
Quick Hits... Junior Antuan Barnett smacked his fifth homerun of the season in the first game of the Rider series last weekend. He would go 3-for-10 with a homerun and two runs scored in the three-game set... Junior Tom Maisano leads the Stags with 50 strikeouts this season. For his career he has 130, which makes him 11 shy of Rob Elinskas (1994-97), who is fifth in strikeouts in a career at Fairfield. Keefe Cato holds the career record with 239 strikeouts from 1977-79... Junior Sal Mancuso needs only two more doubles to move into a three-way tie for fifth place of the single season doubles list. Tom Lopusznick (1998), and Mike Pike (1994) each had 16 doubles.
 Junior Sal Mancuso needs only two more doubles to move into a three-way tie for fifth place on the single season doubles list  |
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Catching Up With Former Stags...Ryan Holsten is a reliever for the El Paso Diablos (AA) in the Arizona Diamondbacks farm system. With games through May 2, Holsten is 1-1 in 10 appearances so far this season. Drew Larned has appeared in one game for the Pennsylvania Road Warriors of the Atlantic League, which just started its season last week.
Up Next... Fairfield will finish the season hosting Manhattan College next Friday and Saturday. Friday the two teams will play a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m., and Saturday the teams will play a nine-inning game with first pitch slated for 12 p.m.
