March 19, 2006
Box Score
ROCK HILL, SC - After being shut out the previous two games the Wagner bats came to life, unfortunately so did the Michigan Wolverines (6-7) as the Seahawks were toppled in a 15-8 slugfest on day three of the Coca Cola Classic at the Winthrop Ballpark. After not having an extra base hit in their previous 65 innings, the Seahawks belted a home run and two doubles while recording season highs in runs (8), hits (12) and RBI (7) and having eight of their nine position starters hit safely.
After spotting the Wolverines four runs in the top of the first, the Seahawks answered immediately as junior Joseph DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ / Hawthorne) singled and stole second before advancing to third on a Nick Papa (Sr., Freehold, NJ / Freehold) base hit. Junior Ed Sudol (Wallington, NJ / Wallington) then plated DiGeronimo with an RBI double to right center. Sophomore Dan Morvay (Jackson, NJ / Jackson Memorial) then singled to third, scoring Papa to make it 4-2. Junior Pat Rogers (Middletown, NJ / St. John's) followed with Wagner's second-straight infield hit driving in Sudol before Morvay scored on a throwing error on the play to tie up the score at 4-4.
After a scoreless second, the Wolverines plated two in the top of third. Like they did in the first, Wagner responded in the bottom half of the inning by loading the bases on hits by Sudol and Morvay and a walk to Rogers while chasing Michigan starter Andrew Hess. Senior Brian Scrocca (Somerville, NJ / Somerville) welcomed the new Wolverine pitcher with a two-run double to left center, tying the score at 6-6. Freshman Mike Maffucci (Nutley, NJ / Nutley) then hit a sacrifice fly, scoring Rogers to give the Seahawks their first lead of the game at 7-6.
However the Seahawk lead would be short-lived as Michigan scored twice in the top of the fourth and twice more in the top of the fifth before Maffucci hit his first collegiate home run in the bottom of the fifth to make the score 10-8. After two more scoreless frames the Wolverines plated two runs in the eighth and three in the ninth to take the 15-8 victory.
Morvay led the Wagner offense with a career-high three hits in five trips to the plate to go with two runs and a RBI. Sudol went 2-4 with two runs, a double and a RBI and freshman Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) recorded his first multi-hit game going 2-4, rounding out the top offensive-performers for the Green & White.
Junior rhp Dan Lanzano (E. Brunswick, NK / E. Brunswick) fell to 0-1 on the season, pitching a season-high 5.1 innings in relief, striking out three and yielding four earned runs.
Mike Powers (1-0) went 3.0 innings in picking up the win for the Wolverines.
After their grueling nine-day, eight-game spring-break trip the Seahawks head home to rest for a few days before playing at local-rival Seton Hall on Wednesday, March 22 at 3 pm.
