Sunday, May 6, 2007

Baseball Goes Down, But Not Without A Fight

The Fairfield baseball team was not intimidated by Manhattan, who entered the series with a perfect 17-0 MAAC record.

The Stags were aggressive throughout and loaded the bases several times on Saturday. Unfortunately, they could not get over the hump and score runners when they needed it most.

In the two games combined, Fairfield left a total of 16 men on base and struck out a total of 13 times.

In addition to a strong start from Calabrese, the Stags will need some timely hitting to come away with a win on Sunday.

-Frank Romano

Thursday, May 3, 2007

Baseball Puts On A Clinic

Fairfield showed quite the offensive prowess in its past two games, hammering a total of 37 hits.

20 came against Sacred Heart, while 17 came against Hartford.

In each game, multiple players had multi-hit games.

To achieve continued success, the entire Fairfield lineup must continue to put the ball in play. In games past, only one or two guys have hit, and the squad has struggled.

While the pitching Wednesday was a little shaky, Doug Ciallella was magnificent on Tuesday. Ciallella's outing was representative of the many quality starts Fairfield pitchers have made so far this year.

Now, it looks as if the offensive pop may have finally returned-hopefully this time, for good.

-Frank Romano

Softball Falls Again

The Stags lost another MAAC matchup this Wednesday against Iona.

As Head Coach Brzezinski said a few games ago, the team really needs to step it up and sweep some of its MAAC games.

The Stags don't seem to be performing as planned.

If the team does not take charge in the upcoming doubleheader against Manhattan, there seems to be little chance that Fairfield will dominate the MAAC postseason.

-Michelle Morrison

Monday, April 30, 2007

Baseball Diamond Notes: Game Three Pitching Something To Build Off

The strong pitching in Fairfield’s third game against Siena was a positive in an otherwise rough weekend.

The Stags received great pitching from Kamintzky and later, Fico. The two allowed five hits and no runs over the entire game.

The first two games did not go as well, as starters Calabrese and Gariano both got tagged with losses.

With the MAAC standings still very close, Fairfield must put together a good showing against top-ranked Manhattan this weekend.

-Frank Romano

Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Baseball Diamond Notes: Slide Continues

Fairfield lost its fifth straight game yesterday, falling to UConn 8-0.

Freshman starter Kevin Fico did not pitch badly. He gave up five runs in six innings, but got no run support.

The most glaring example of the offensive struggles came in the fourth, when the Stags let a one-out, bases loaded situation slip away.

While UConn is a Big East force, Fairfield should be able to execute with runners in scoring position.

Leaving men on base has been one of the team’s biggest problems all year long. To stay competitive, the Stags need to consistently put the ball in play and get men home.

-Frank Romano

Sunday, April 22, 2007

Baseball Diamond Notes: Offensive Woes Return

Fairfield’s offense, which had shown signs of life last week against Iona, went into cardiac arrest on Saturday.

Fairfield notched only five hits combined in yesterday’s doubleheader and scored only one run.

The Stags’ hitters made their pitchers look like aces. Clearly they are not, as Canisius entered the series in tenth place in the MAAC.

Despite the setback, Fairfield must salvage the series with a win today in the final game.

To be in playoff contention, the Stags need to get back on track and finish the season strong.

-Frank Romano

Sunday, April 15, 2007

Pitching And Defense Wins Games, But Hitting Helps, Too

In last weekend’s conference series, Fairfield had solid pitching.

This weekend, Fairfield got great pitching again, but this time, they also got great hitting.

The Stags pounded out 18 hits in yesterday’s doubleheader with Iona. Seven different batters got hits in game one, as opposed to three or four, like had been the case for the last several weeks.

11 hits came in game one, while seven came in game two.

The most important improvement was in two-out hitting.

In game one, Fairfield notched all seven of its runs on two outs. Six of them came on legitimate hits, while only one came on a passed ball.

If the Stags want to build off yesterday’s strong performance, they must continue to hit in the clutch.

-Frank Romano