Fairfield Junior Legion Splits Doubleheader With Ridgefield

E.J. Sheehan singled in the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning Friday, as the Fairfield Junior American League baseball team defeated Ridgefield, 2-1, to gain a split of its doubleheader at Kiwanis Field.

Fairfield, which dropped the opener, 4-0, stands at 7-8, continuing an impressive turnaround under first-year coach JJ Edwards. A recent graduate of Sacred Heart, Edwards inherited a team that went 0-27 last season.

Fairfield starter Steven Zodravec went the distance in the nightcap, allowing only an unearned run in the fifth.  He scattered four hits with no walks and three strikeouts.

"This was a pretty impressive final line for him,"  Edwards said.

Fairfield tied the game in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Tommy McGrath that scored Alex Kowalski.

Two innings later,  Sheehan plated Jamie Johnson with  a single to right field.

Edwards, a four-year member of Sacred Heart's baseball team, is modest about his early success.

"A lot of the credit goes to Ed Conway (the coach of Fairfield's senior team) and his staff,  who did a good job of getting this team prepared for success this year," Edwards said.

However,  Jonathan Servilla, the assistant coach on the junior club and a former standout at Fairfield Ludlowe, thinks Edwards should get his share of the credit as well.

"He  is one of the best coaches because he's always looking out for what's best for the team," Servilla said.

"JJ is a very good coach, and he keeps all of us focused," Zodravec added.

Fairfield looks to reach .500 on Monday, when its hosts Trumbull at Notre Dame of Fairfield High School (5:30 p.m.).