WAPPINGERS FALLS, N.Y. (Interstat) — Ben Alekson pitched a complete game and JP Kuczik drove in three runs to lead Fairfield to a 6-3 victory over Marist in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference baseball championship Wednesday afternoon.

The Stags, who entered with a 28-21 record, never trailed after the first inning and avenged a regular-season loss to the Red Foxes. Marist fell to 21-29.

Fairfield struck first in the bottom of the first inning. Thomas Schmalzle and Nick Colby drew consecutive walks off Marist starter Andrew Fierro. After a strikeout, Schmalzle and Colby executed a double steal. Kuczik followed with a single through the right side that carried to the wall; the ball was misplayed by the right fielder, allowing both runners to score and Kuczik to reach second. The error gave Fairfield a 2-0 lead.

Marist answered immediately in the top of the first. Leadoff hitter AJ Brotz singled through the left side, and after Noel Rivera flied out, Nick Lincoln reached on a fielder’s choice that erased Brotz at second. With two outs, Chris Diaz popped out to end the inning with the Red Foxes still trailing.

The game turned in the fourth inning. Fairfield had tied the score 3-3 in the third on a sacrifice fly by Kuczik that plated Schmalzle, who had reached on a throwing error. In the fourth, Zach Stephenson drew a one-out walk, stole second and scored on a double to right-center by Ryan Paine. After a wild pitch moved Paine to third, Schmalzle lifted a sacrifice fly to right that gave Fairfield a 5-3 advantage.

That rally came against reliever Andrew Speranza, who had entered after Fierro was lifted. Speranza struck out four in 3.2 innings but allowed the inherited runner to score on the sacrifice fly.

Marist cut the deficit to 5-3 in the top of the fifth. Brotz tripled to left-center with two outs and scored on Rivera’s double to left field. But Alekson retired Lincoln on a fly out to center to end the threat.

Alekson, who struck out two and allowed seven hits over nine innings, worked efficiently after that. The Red Foxes managed only two more hits the rest of the way. Luke Monico homered to left field with one out in the seventh inning, trimming the margin to 5-3, but Alekson set down the next two batters. Fairfield added an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh on a double by Stephenson that scored Kuczik from second.

Brotz finished 3-for-4 for Marist, and Monico had a solo home run. Kuczik went 2-for-2 with a sacrifice fly and three RBIs. Stephenson was 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI.

The most critical sequence came in the fourth when Fairfield turned a one-run game into a two-run lead. Paine’s double and Schmalzle’s sacrifice fly, both against Speranza, gave the Stags the momentum they never lost.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Fairfield 7, Marist 6, and its ELO system gave Fairfield a 71.20 percent probability to win.