THE BASICS:


RESULT: Fairfield 5, Hartford 3
LOCATION: Hartford Softball Field (West Hartford, Conn.)
RECORDS: Fairfield (18-21); Hartford (3-32)

THE LEAD:
Lexi Wilkerson hit a two-run homer and the Hartford softball team got strong pitching throughout, but Fairfield was opportunistic in earning a 5-3 victory over the Hawks on Tuesday.
 
Wilkerson, who reached base four times in going 2-for-2 with a pair of walks, delivered her team-best fourth longball of the year in the bottom of the seventh. Kylie Dazalla went 2-for-3 as well for the Hawks offensively. Isabella Gerone struck out four and allowed no earned runs in her four innings of work, while Melissa Pereira delivered two hitless frames.
 
Angelina McGuire went 2-for-4 and scored a pair of runs for the Stags, while Kristen Ball drove in two runs. Madison Roberts collected the win out of the bullpen for Fairfield.

HOW THEY SCORED:
• Fairfield struck first by plating an unearned run in the top of the second to make it 1-0.
• The Stags added two more unearned tallies in the fourth, both coming home on Ball's two-out single, for a 3-0 lead.
• Hartford got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Amber Mianti brought home a run on an RBI grounder to make it 3-1.
• The visitors got one back in the top of the fifth with an RBI groundout to make it 4-1.
• The Stags added an insurance run in the top of the seventh on an RBI single off the bat of Molly Roche.
• The Hawks drew within two when Danielle DeMarco reached on a walk and came trotting around when Wilkerson launched a ball over the fence in left-center field to result in the final score.
 
UP NEXT:
The Hawks return to America East play this weekend, with Binghamton coming to West Hartford for three games. The two squads will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. with the finale slated for noon on Sunday. Prior to Sunday's contest, Hartford will pay homage to its four seniors – DeMarco, Marisa Ferguson, Wilkerson and Meghan Wynn.