April 21, 2006
RIVERDALE, N.Y. -- Tara Hansen hit a home run in the first game, and earned the win in the second game as the Fairfield University softball team ran its Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) win streak to five games with a sweep of Manhattan College. The Stags opened the twin bill with an 8-7 win, and added a 10-3 five-inning victory in the nightcap.
Fairfield fought back several times in the opener, even though it jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first inning. With one out, Julia Jacoby doubled before Hansen hit an opposite-field home run to push the visitors in front. The Jaspers came right back and scored three times in their half of the inning, courtesy of three RBI singles.
The Stags tied the game in the top of the second off Riannon Thomas' RBI double. Manhattan recaptured the lead with a two-run double to hold a 5-3 advantage after two frames. Fairfield scored for the third straight inning when Cagney Ringnalda hit a solo home run. However, Manhattan came back with a run in the bottom of the inning with an RBI single, the team's fourth runs scoring base hit of the game.
Hansen started Fairfield's big rally in the fourth inning when she sent home a run with a double, the first of four runs. Erin Frank stroked an RBI double, while Shannon Logan bunted home a run and Ringnalda tallied an RBI single to close the Fairfield scoring. Manhattan cut the Fairfield lead to one run with a solo home run in the sixth inning, but Stags pitcher Tracy Sylvestre kept the Japsers from completing the come back.
Sylvestre earned the win after pitching four-plus innings of effective relief, scattering three hits and allowing just one earned run.
The second game belonged to Fairfield from the start, as the Stags used a three-run third and a six-run fourth inning to put Manhattan away. Fairfield opened the game with a run in the first innings, thanks to a run-scoring single by Frank. Manhattan secured its only lead of the game with an RBI single and a two-run base hit in the bottom of the second inning.
Jacoby started Fairfield's third-inning rally with a base hit. She went to third base after Hansen laced a double. Frank followed with a three-run homer to give the Stags its second lead of the game at 4-3. The team put the game out of reach with six more runs in the fourth inning. Hansen and Logan each chased home a pair of runners with a base hit, while Molly Harris added a sacrifice fly and Breanne Morschauser registered an RBI single.
Hansen earned the win after yielding just five hits and three runs, in addition to striking out five hitters.
