April 27, 2006
Box Score
STATEN ISLAND, NY - After trading big innings for the first third of the game the Siena Saints pulled away from the Wagner College Seahawks by a final score of 11-7 earlier today at Dr. Bill Willetts Field. The two teams combined for five home runs and 22 hits in an offensive slugfest. Wagner is now 8-28 on the season while the Saints are 15-24-1.
Siena came out of the gates swinging as they scored three first-inning runs and then added another run in the top of the second to go up 4-0. The Seahawks would cut the deficit to 4-1 in the bottom of the inning on a Pete Delleani (Fr., Manalapan, NJ / CBA) run-scoring single.
In the bottom of the third the Seahawks scored five runs and batted around. Junior Ed Sudol (Wallington, NJ / Wallington) blasted a two-run home run scoring junior Matt Mastrianni (Ringoes, NY / Hunterdon Central), who led off the inning with a single, to make it 4-3. Then the Seahawks loaded the bases with no outs and freshman Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) blasted a single to right field to tie it up at 4-4. Delleani followed that up with his second-straight run-scoring hit to give Wagner their first lead of the game at 5-4. One out later, senior Nick Papa (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) hit a sacrifice fly to right field, plating Drechsel to give Wagner their last lead of the game at 6-4.
From that point on it was all Saints as Siena took advantage of Wagner's short right-field porch with a three-run home run in the top of the fourth to regain the lead at 7-6. Siena added two more runs in the top of the sixth before Wagner got one of those back in the bottom of the inning with Mastrianni's first home run of the season and the sixth of his career.
Siena added two runs in the top of the ninth and extinguished a first and second no out situation in the bottom of the ninth to win 11-7.
Sudol had a huge game for the Seahawks going 3-4 with his team-best third home run of the season and two RBI. Mastrianni was 2-4 with a home run and two runs scored and Delleani also collected two hits in four plate appearances to go with two RBI, rounding out the top offensive performers.
Freshman Dave Gerhardt (Worcester, MA / Bancroft) took the loss for Wagner, falling to 0-1 on the season after giving up five runs in 3.2 innings of relief. Sean Keeler gave up on run in 5.0 innings of work to pick up the win and improve to 4-0.
Wagner returns to NEC action on Saturday, April 29 when they welcome defending NEC Champion Quinnipiac to Willetts Field for a 12 pm doubleheader.
