Bobcats Rally Past Fairfield in Regular-Season Finale

Saturday, May 18

Fairfield, CT / Don '63 and Chris '88 Cook Field

1:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

20-30, 10-14

Fairfield

32-22, 20-4

Quinnipiac

Fairfield

Photo by: Rob Rasmussen / P8Photos.com

Bobcats Rally Past Fairfield in Regular-Season Finale

5/18/2024 4:05:00 PM | Baseball

Box Score

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – The Quinnipiac baseball scored four runs in the ninth inning as they came back to defeat the Fairfield Stags, 9-7, on Saturday afternoon in Fairfield.

With the win, the Bobcats will finish the regular season with a 20-30 overall record and a 10-14 record in the MAAC, while Fairfield will fall to 32-22 overall and 20-4 in conference play.

SCORE
Quinnipiac 9, Fairfield 7

HOW IT HAPPENED
Fairfield struck first in the bottom of the second inning on a sacrifice fly to make it a 1-0 game. In the next half inning, James Marino blasted his first collegiate home run to tie the game at one.

THAT ONE IS NOT COMING BACK!!

Marino hits his first collegiate home run to tie the game at one!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/WecIP8dTy9
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) May 18, 2024

Three batters later, Keegan O'Connor sent a solo home run over the right-center field fence to give the Bobcats a 2-1 lead.

KEEGAN'S TURN 🚀

Keegan gives us a one-run lead with a solo blast to right field!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/yiEldQMOe4
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) May 18, 2024

The Stags would take the lead back in the bottom half of the third inning from a two-RBI double down the left-field line. In the top of the fourth, Quinnipiac would even the game at three as Christian Smith hit a home run to the deepest part of the park.

SMITTY JOINS THE HOME RUN PARTY!!

Smith homers to the deepest part of the park to tie the game at three!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/sIg5h4D1bd
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) May 18, 2024

Fairfield would strike for two runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to take a 5-3 lead before making it a three-run game in the sixth off an RBI groundout.

The Bobcats would get back within one run as two runs crossed the plate in the seventh inning. James Marino came home on a wild pitch and Gabe Wright scored later in the inning on an RBI ground out.

Fairfield would get an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning off an RBI single. However, the Bobcats were not going down without a fight as Keegan O'Connor brought in two runs on a single to left center to tie the game at seven.

WE. ARE. TIED. #BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/1OUIqVfuWQ
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) May 18, 2024

The next batter, CJ Willis, doubled down the left field line to bring home two more runs and make it a 9-7 lead for the Bobcats.

WILLIS FOR THE LEAD!!#BobcatNation pic.twitter.com/QJqjsQeMmm
— Quinnipiac Baseball (@TheQBaseball) May 18, 2024

Matt Alduino came in to pitch in the ninth inning and recorded a 1-2-3 inning to earn his third save of the season.

NEWS AND NOTES

Seven different Bobcats recorded hits in the come-from-behind victory over Fairfield.
Keegan O'Connor led the offense with four RBIs and went 2-for-5 at the plate with two runs scored.
CJ Willis picked up one hit in four at-bats and drove in two runs, which were the game-winning RBIs.
James Marino hit his first collegiate homer and went 3-for-3 at the plate with three runs scored.
Marino bumped his season average up to .483 with three hits in the contest.
Christian Smith and Gabe Wright each picked up two hits in the win.
Kyle Garbowski and Dominick Proctor both recorded one hit in four at-bats.
Nine different pitchers were utilized in the series finale at Fairfield.
Skyler Manelski earned his first win of the season and Matt Alduino picked up his third save of the year.