Magi's Complete Game Lifts Fairfield American to 3-2 Win Over New Hampshire

Call it a gift of the Magi.

Eddie Magi allowed one earned run in a complete-game performance Monday night, as Fairfield American posted a pressure-packed 3-2 victory over Portsmouth, the New Hampshire state champion, in the New England Regionals before a crowd of1,639 in Bristol.

Nick Nardone snapped a 2-2 tie with an RBI double in the bottom of the fourth and Magi made it hold up, allowing only four hits with two walks and five strikeouts.

"I feel pretty confident about my pitching," said Magi, who has both of Fairfield American's wins in the tournament after he earned a victory in relief on Saturday, when the locals defeated Vermont, 7-4.

Fairfield American improved to 2-1 in pool play and can clinch a spot in the semifinals with a win over Massachusetts on Wednesday (1 p.m.) at the Giamatti Little Center. The team is off Tuesday.

Magi pitched with no margin for error, as New Hampshire starter Lucas Hartmann held Fairfield American's offense in check after giving up a solo home run to Chris Howell in the bottom of the first.

"We didn't give him the run support that we like to, so that was a gutty performance to hang in there," Fairfield American coach Chris Daley said.  "Nice job."

Magi, who tossed 79 pitches for the complete game, got stronger as the contest went on, needing only 27 offerings in the last three frames. Interestingly, he threw nine pitches in each of the last three innings.

"I had a lot of ground ball outs and I had help from (second baseman) Billy (McGrath) in the last inning," Magi said.  "I had a few strikeouts and I tried to conserve my pitches a lot in those innings."

With one out in the sixth, Portsmouth's Spencer Young hit a hard smash to second that seemed headed to the outfield for a sure hit, but McGrath made a diving stop and got the out at first.

It could have saved the game, as Daniel Philbrick followed with a single to right before Magi fanned Liam McCafferty to close out the contest.

"Billy came up with a spectacular play in the last inning," Daley said. "That changes a lot if that guy gets on."

After allowing the first two batters to reach in the first, Magi got out of the inning with a double play and settled into a groove.

"Usually, I like to test the hitters out with the fastball and if they start hitting it, I'll go to my curveball sometimes and today I went to my curveball a lot," he said.

The score remained unchanged until the top of the third, when the usually sure-handed Fairfield American defense experienced a rare breakdown. Back-to-back errors by first baseman Jack Quinn and Nardone at shortstop allowed New Hampshire to a grab a 2-1 lead.

Daley told his players to relax, and they took the advice to heart, playing flawless defense thereafter.

Fairfield American took advantage of a pair of errors to score two unearned runs in the fourth. McGrath reached on second baseman Kobie Taylor's miscue  to start the inning.

Two outs later, Tommy Ryan singled to left. McGrath was stopped at third even though it appeared that he could have scored on Ryan's hit.

Howell hit a slow grounder to shortstop Brian Hagan, who might have had a play at first, but he tried to get a force at second and threw the ball into center field.

McGrath trotted home with the tying run, setting the stage for Nardone to put Fairfield American back ahead with a drive into the gap.

"(Hartman) was throwing knuckleballs the entire game," said  Nardone, who is batting .500 (4-for-8) in the tournament. "When I was on second base after the error by the shortstop (in the third inning), I was watching his glove every single pitch. He was relying on the knuckleball a lot. I knew it was coming, so I just stroked it to left-center."

Daley has not decided on Wednesday's pitcher, as he will wait to see if Fairfield American needs to win the game to advance to the semifinals. Depending on the results of other games, the team could have a spot in the final four locked up by the time it takes the field Wednesday.

Massachusetts is in third place at 1-1, followed by New Hamphire and Maine at 1-2 and Vermont at 0-2. Undefeated Rhode Island (3-0) clinched a berth in the semifinals with a 10-0 win over Maine in Monday's earlier encounter.