GREENSBORO, N.C.  – UNCG baseball completes its series sweep of visiting Fairfield on Sunday, defeating the Stags by a final of 3-1 in game three. Righty Jeremiah Triplett earned the win after registering a quality start, while Phillip Sanderson closed the back end with his first save of the year. 

"For a Sunday I thought we got an outstanding pitching performance," said Head Coach Billy Godwin. "We talked about it when we went out earlier, that Sunday is sometimes a slug-fest, and we challenged our guys to come out and let our pitching do the work, and they did a nice job today."

Despite getting a pair of runners into scoring position, the Spartans were held scoreless in the opening three innings before finally breaking the tie in the bottom half of the fourth. With Josh Madole leading off the bottom frame with a single, Hogan Windish and Sam Koruschack loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and a single to right respectively. With no outs in the inning Jacquez Koonce and Pres Cavenaugh delivered back-to-back sac flies, giving the Spartans a 2-0 lead going into the fourth. 

Making his second start of the season, senior right-hander Jeremiah Triplett kept the Stags to a minimum, giving up a single unearned run during his 6.0 innings on the hill. Triplett faced just three over the minimum in his quality start, while spraying three hits and three walks across his time spent on the mound. 

The Spartan offense took advantage of their pitching staff's performance by adding a third run in the bottom half of the sixth, with Koruschak's third knock of the day leading to a sac fly opportunity for Ryan Caveness later in the frame, and a 3-1 lead.

Coming on to start the seventh, junior Phillip Sanderson turned in three innings of shutout work as well, striking out six on the way to the first save of his career. The right-hander's relief appearance was his second of the year, after tossing 3.2 shutout frames against San Diego State the previous week, as he holds onto a 0.00 ERA for the season.

The Spartans' win puts them at 5-1 on the year, their best start to a campaign since 2016, and the best start for a UNCG first-year head coach in program history. 

"We're throwing strikes, and that's the biggest thing that we've been emphasizing," said Godwin, when asked about his pitching staff's performance over the weekend. "We threw strikes, we were able to throw off-speed pitches in fastball counts and I was really pleased overall. To come away with the no-hitter and pound the zone the way we did and the way we played defense, if you can do that you're going to be very successful."

When the Spartans Win, You Win!  Stop by Bites and Pints Gastro Pub on Spring Garden Street and mention the Spartans win for 50% off an appetizer of your choice. Offer only lasts for 24 hours after the game.

Things To Know
-- The Spartan pitching staff held the Stags to a .146 batting average over the course of the weekend, giving up a total of two earned runs and 13 hits overall

-- Sam Koruschak went 3-for-4 against the Stags on Sunday, finishing 4-for-8 with a pair of walks over the course of the weekend, while Greg Hardison extended his hitting streak to six straight to start the season

-- The Spartan defense played a part in Fairfield's lack of hitting this weekend, throwing out three potential base stealers and committing just a single error all weekend. Ryan Caveness gunned down three of the Stags' stolen base attempts, with two of those coming on Sunday alone

Coming Up Next
The Spartans host their first midweek game of the season with Charlotte coming to town on Tuesday. UNCG's matchup with the 49ers is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch, as the home club looks to improve on its 7-12 record against the side all-time. 

-- UNCG –