March 15, 2006
Box Score
JACKSONVILLE, FL - A late-inning rally was not enough as the Wagner College Seahawks lost their eighth-straight game to open the season by a score 9-5 to Jacksonville (18-4) earlier this afternoon at Brest Field. In a sloppily played game, the two teams combined to allow seven unearned runs while committing five errors, leaving 17 runners on base and walking 13 batters.
Down 2-0 in the top of the second, senior center fielder Nick Papa (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) manufactured a run almost by himself singling to lead off the frame then stealing second. Then on a dropped third strike he advanced to third and was brought in on an Ed Sudol (Jr., Wallington, NJ / Wallington) groundout.
Over the next five innings the Dolphins tacked on five runs while not allowing the Seahawk-hitters a hit.
Down 7-1 with one out in the bottom of the eighth, freshman third baseman Pete Delleani (Manalapan, NJ / CBA) reached base on an error by the third baseman. Junior shortstop Joseph DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ / Hawthorne) then singled up the middle before senior second baseman Joseph Malfettano (Toms River, NJ / Toms River North) walked to load the bases. Sophomore designated hitter Dan Morvay (Jackson, NJ / Jackson Memorial) then hit a sacrifice fly to left field driving in Delleani. The Dolphin hurlers then walked the next four Wagner hitters forcing in three runs to make the score 7-5 heading into the bottom of the eighth.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Jacksonville got two of those runs back on a sacrifice fly and a rbi single. The Green & White would threaten in the top of the ninth as Delleani led off with a single, before the Dolphins were forced to bring in staff-ace Matt Dobbins and his staff-low 1.62 ERA to close out the game.
The Seahawks scored their five runs on just three hits, one each by Delleani, DiGeronimo and Papa, but worked the Dolphin pitchers drawing eight free passes.
Sophomore rhp Thomas Weston (Fair Haven, NJ / Rumson) took the loss and fell to 0-1 for the Green & White, giving up four earned runs in 5.0 innings of work.
The Seahawks will travel to Rock Hill, SC tomorrow before playing at Winthrop on Friday, March 17 at 4 pm.
