FAIRFIELD, Conn. - Marist's hot hitting continued on Saturday in their conference opener at Fairfield as they split a pair of games with the Stags. In Game One they earned a 4-3 comeback victory on the strength of 10 hits and two seventh inning runs. In Game Two, they had 10 hits yet again, but unfortunately they came up one run short at 5-4. For the afternoon, senior Megan Lamoureux (Woonsocket, R.I.) and sophomore Alyssa Zahka (Lexington, Mass.) led the offense with a combined 9-13 showing at the plate. Freshman Janine Lalli (Eastchester, N.Y.) highlighted the team's performance in the circle with a complete game victory in Game One.

GAME 1, MARIST 4 - FAIRFIELD 3: In a format similar to their recent non-conference doubleheader versus Columbia, the Red Foxes found themselves down early after the host Stags plated three runs in the bottom of the third inning.

Unfazed, Marist began its comeback in the next frame as Lamoureux led off the inning with a walk. After junior Danielle Koltz (Chenango Bridge, N.Y.) singled to center field, the duo advanced one base on a wild pitch by Fairfield's starter Rebecca Trott. Lamoureux came around to score run number one in the next at bat, as senior Nicole DiVirgilio (Aston, Pa.) launched a deep fly ball to the center field wall that was caught for a sacrifice fly.

After a quick three-up, three-down inning by Lalli in the circle, Marist's offense got back to work with another run in the top of the fifth. Three singles by its first four batters loaded the bases for Lamoureux, who hit a grounder back up the middle to the pitcher, who got the force at home. Marist manufactured the run when Fairfield's catcher then decided to take her chances on throwing out Lamoureux at first base and airmailed the first baseman. Freshman Taylor Kuzma (Freehold, N.J.) came around to score run number two for Marist on this play.

Strong pitching by Lalli continued keeping Marist's comeback hopes alive as she allowed just one hit over the next two frames to set up the Red Foxes' seventh-inning rally.

Kuzma, the nine-hole hitter, was again a facilitator of offense as she led off with a single through the left side. Two batters later, the freshman tallied the game-tying run via a double by Lamoureux. With pinch runner Nicole Van Loan (Kingston, N.Y.) inserted in the game at second for Lamoureux, the speedy reserve crossed the plate for the game-winning run two batters later when DiVirgilio hit a hard single through the right side of the infield.

Fairfield attempted to comeback in the bottom of the seventh inning with a one-out triple, but Lalli and the Red Fox defense held the Stags scoreless to complete the 4-3 come-from-behind victory.

For the game, seven of the nine batters in Marist's starting lineup reached base via hits. A trio of underclassmen, Aly Klemmer (Hamilton, N.J.), Zahka and Kuzma all had two singles. In the circle, Lalli went the distance to earn her team-leading seventh victory of the season. She struck out five Stags over seven innings.

GAME 2, FAIRFIELD 5 - MARIST 4: After scoring four unanswered runs in Game One, the Red Fox bats came out swinging in Game Two as they put a pair of runs on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Following a hit by pitch of senior Ashley Corriss (Sayville, N.Y.), Lamoureux doubled in her classmate for the first run of the game. Three batters later, Zahka stepped to the plate in singled up the middle to drive in Lamoureux for the early 2-0 lead.

The host Stags cut away at the two-run deficit with a single run in the bottom of the second.

With a 2-1 lead, the Red Foxes extended their advantage to 3-1 in the top of the fifth with three base-runners reaching before Koltz hit a deep fly that sent Fairfield's left fielder to the wall for a run-scoring sacrifice fly.

With the momentum, freshman starting pitcher Melanie White (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) set the Stags down in order in the bottom of the fifth with two weak grounders and a strike out looking.

Faced with a 3-1 deficit, Fairfield mounted their comeback in the bottom of the sixth with a combination of four singles, a double and a sacrifice fly that resulted in three runs scored.

Marist looked to pull out some late game magic in its final at bat and nearly had it if not for some excellent defensive play by the Stags. The Red Foxes began the inning with a leadoff double by junior Christina Lausch (Lancaster, Pa.). Lausch would come around to score three batters later on an error by the second baseman on a batted ball by Koltz. The next batter DiVirgilio nearly tied it up, but Fairfield's shortstop was in the right place at the right time to snag the line drive. With two outs, Zahka took the first pitch see saw from relief pitcher Emily Orr and hit a hard line drive up the middle for a single. With the game within reach, Van Loan, who entered as a pinch runner was sent home on Zahka's hit, where a perfect throw for the center fielder beat her by less than two feet in a bang-bang play at the plate. Fairfield had withstood the Red Fox rally to hold on for the 5-4 win.

For the second straight game, the Red Foxes had 10 hits as they outhit the Stags 10-7. Lamoureux and Zahka led the offense with three hits a piece. Lausch joined the duo with multiple hits as she went 2-3 in the contest. In the circle, White pitched her ninth complete game, as she went six innings and struck out four.

For the doubleheader, the Red Foxes hit .357 (20-56) and had a .406 on-base percentage. Their two pitchers combined for nine strikeouts in 13 innings. Individually, Lamoureux reached base safely in seven of her eight plate appearances.

Marist will be at home for two consecutive doubleheaders beginning on Thursday, April 12 when they host Bucknell in a non-conference twinbill. Game One is slated for a 2:30 p.m. start.