April 29, 2006

Box Score

Game two box

Teaneck, NJ - The Wagner College softball team set a new school record with 31 wins after sweeping Northeast Conference host Fairleigh Dickinson 6-3 and 3-2 today. The pair of victories improves the Seahawks to 12-2 in the NEC and 31-15 on the year, surpassing the previous record of 30 set last season.

In the process, Head Coach Glen Payne won his 200th career game in his 11 years at Wagner which also give him 293 for his career. Sophomore Victoria Batistelli (Huntington Beach, CA / Huntington Beach) went 5-8 with five RBI in the two games, while junior Dara Gadziala (E. Brunswick, NJ / E. Brunswick) took over on the mound tossing 9.2 innings while picking up a win and a save.

After a quite first two innings in the opener, the Seahawks used the long ball to jump out to a 4-0 lead in the third. Freshman Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV / Wooster) started the action with a solo homer, her third of the year. Senior Joy Gallagher (Hazleton, PA / Hazleton), added a RBI single later in the rally, which was followed by Batistelli's two run shot, her eighth homer and a 4-0 Seahawk advantage.

The Knights (8-39; 5-13) would fight back in the fourth, with three runs, two earned on four hits and an error to make the count 4-3 n favor of the visitors.

Holding onto the one run cushion in the seventh, Batistelli answered again with another two run blast, giving her nine for the season. Her nine home runs are the third most ever and mark the most by a Seahawk since the 1991 season.

On the mound, junior Morgan Miller (Las Vegas, NV / Silverado) took home the win, and tied the Wagner school record with her 41st career victory in the process. Miller went 4.1 innings allowing two earned runs while upper her season mark to 16-7. Making her eighth relief appearance of the season, Gadziala picked up her second save surrendering one hit with three stikeouts in the final 2.2 at bats for the Knights.

Gallagher went 3-4 in the game, as eight of the nine starters record at least one hit in the contest.

		R	H	E
	Wagner	6	11	2
	FDU	3	8	1
		

		R	H	E
	Wagner	3	13	2
	FDU	2	9	1

To complete the sweep, Wagner called on the defense to close out the game. With the Seahawks leading 3-1 heading into the bottom of the seventh, FDU rallied with consecutive one out singles. After a foul out into left, Caitlin Reuter double into center to score one run, but senior centerfielder Christy Sykora (Orland Park, IL / Carl Sandburg) fielded the ball and relayed a throw to Gallagher, who then fired the ball home to nail the would be tying run at the plate.

Wagner started off the game 1-0 after a two out RBI single in the top of the first from Batistelli. RBI singles from Stevens and Gallagher then made it 3-1 in the upper half of the second. The Knight placed a run in the bottom of the inning for the 3-1 score. The score would remain there until the highly intense final inning.

Gadziala has won 14 of her last 15 decisions

Gadziala was superb once again on the mound, winning her seventh straight decision and for the 14th time in the last 15 decisions. She improved to 14-3 on the year, dispersing nine hits, two runs with three strikeouts.

Batistelli and Lazzari each had three hits in the game, while Stevens and junior Christina Hopkins (Edison, NJ / Edison) had two each. Gallagher's second inning single would move her hitting streak to 19 games.

The Seahawks, winners of 12 of the last 13 games, are in action again tomorrow at Sacred Heart. For a 12:00 pm double header.

~ wagnerathletics.com ~