It seems that some home cooking and a familiar field were all that the Fairfield softball team needed to kick off its MAAC season with a bang last weekend.
After splitting a doubleheader against Yale on March 28, the Stags won three out of four against Niagara and Canisius to open their MAAC schedule.
The Stags swept Canisius in a doublehader on Sunday, in what may have been their best two games of the season.
“We played really well, finishing the whole seven innings,” said Head Coach Julie Brzezinski. “We gave them a couple of opportunities, but our pitching really buckled down.”
Brzezinski was optimistic coming into the weekend, despite the Stags’ 5-12 record.
“A lot of the teams we played [early in the season] had already played 15 or 20 games,” said Brzezinski. “These were our first games on dirt, playing a lot of good teams who were seasoned and we got used to that level of play.”
In the opener against Yale, senior pitcher Cagney Ringalda gave herself an early lead, hitting a three-run homer in the first.
Ringalda got help later on from Kristen D’Alessandro ’08 and Kristie Trifiolis ’10, who each hit their first home runs of the season in the sixth.
The team fell flat in the beginning of the second game and failed to catch up, losing 5-2.
Then, the Stags came out slowly in their first game against Niagara.
The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth, when Niagara scored on an error by Stags first baseman Breanne Morchauser ’08 to take a 1-0 lead.
Niagara scored two more runs before Griswold hit a solo home run to left in the fifth, bringing the score to 3-1.
Then, the Stags rallied with a three-run sixth to take a 4-3 lead that they didn’t relinquish. After Trifiolis reached on a leadoff single, Julia Jacoby ’08 hit an RBI triple to make it 3-2.
Then, Erin Frank ’08 put the Stags ahead for good with a two-run homer to center.
In the second game, the Purple Eagles jumped out to a 4-0 lead after three.
Fairfield came back to tie it up in the next two innings, but Niagara scored two in the sixth and one in the seventh to pull away 7-4.
But after failing to finish the job on Saturday, the Stags played two solid games on Sunday against Canisius, which was ranked first in the pre-season MAAC coaches poll, one spot ahead of Fairfield.
In the opener, the Stags got on the board in the fourth when Ringnalda walked, stole second and scored on a single by Riannon Thomas ’08.
D’Alessandro homered in the fifth to make it 2-0, but Canisius scored runs in the sixth and seventh to tie it at two, setting up a dramatic finish in the bottom of the seventh.
Jacoby led off with a double, and after a Ringnalda walk, scored on a game-winning fielder’s choice by Griswold.
Meghan Borst ’10, who has been a consistent star in her rookie year, replaced Ringnalda on the mound to start the sixth and, despite giving up the lead, hung on to pick up the win in relief.
Borst she said has become more comfortable on the field as the season has progressed.
“In the beginning, it was really hard and in high school there weren’t a lot of practices,” said Borst. “I feel pretty good to get to play as much as I’ve had.”
“There were some injuries that allowed me to get as much playing time as I have,” she added.
In the second game, Borst led the Stags to victory with her arm and her bat.
Borst, who started in right field, put the Stags on the board with a grand slam in the first.
She then came in to pitch in the third, and with the score 4-1, pitched five scoreles innings for her second win of the day.
Borst is now 3-2 on the season as a pitcher and has 14 RBI at the plate, which ties with Ringnalda for the team lead.
Brzezinski said she is pleased with the freshmen, who have played a significant role in the team’s success.
“Balance is always good,” said Brzezinski. “Having that balance, it makes an easy transition when others graduate.”
The Stags’ victories this past weekend put them in second place in the MAAC, one game behind St. Peter’s, heading into their next game against Iona on Sunday in New Rochelle, N.Y.
The Stags first play a doubleheader against non-conference opponent Hartford on Thursday in Fairfield.
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