May 13, 2006
Box Score
Game Two Box
STATEN ISLAND, NY - The Wagner College Seahawks needed a sweep today and they got one defeating Long Island by a 5-1 count in game one and a 7-5 score in game two. With the two wins Wagner moves to 14-31 and 12-8 in the Northeast Conference while LIU is eliminated from playoff contention, falling to 10-32-1 and 7-12 in the conference.
In game one, the Seahawks rode the right arm of redshirt-junior Andrew Bailey (Haddon Heights, NJ / Paul VI) as he went the distance striking out seven while facing the minimum 21 batters after yielding a leadoff home run and a hit batsman. With the win, he improves to 2-0 on the season and has now struck out 222 batters in his illustrious career, needing just seven to tie former teammate Mike McTamney for the Wagner career-record.
After falling behind 1-0 on Marcus Wynn's leadoff home run the Seahawks struck for two runs in the bottom of the third. Freshman Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) tied the game with a sacrifice fly to left field to plate senior Mike Picarello (Clifton, NJ / Clifton), who led off the inning with a single to center. Junior Ed Sudol (Wallington, NJ / Wallington) then put the Seahawks up for good when he laced a 0-2 pitch down the right field line, scoring freshman Pete Delleani (Manalapan, NJ /CBA) to make it 2-1.
Delleani then put Wagner up 3-1 in bottom of the fourth when he singled to left field to drive in senior Joe Malfettano (Toms River, NJ / Toms River North), who reached via an infield hit earlier in the inning. Junior Matt Mastrianni (Ringoes, NJ / Hunterdon Central) then put the game on ice in the next half inning when he blasted a two-run home run, his fourth of the year, over the right field wall on the first pitch he saw.
With Bailey on the mound it was more then enough as fired his second complete game in as many outings on an economical 97 pitches.
Game two looked as though it would be a blow out from the start as the Seahawks loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the first on two singles and an error. Sudol singled to right field bringing home junior Joe DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ / Hawthorne) and Drechsel, both of whom had singled to make it 2-0. Following a pick off and a strikeout, freshman Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn) doubled down the left-field line to make it second and third with two outs and Malfettano followed with a two-run single up the middle to put Wagner up 4-0.
Long Island would chip away at the lead using a solo home run and an RBI single in the top of the third to cut it to 4-2 before tying the game at 4-4 in the top of the sixth on a throwing error by Delleani.
In the bottom of the sixth, senior Nick Papa (Freehold, NJ / Freehold), who set the school-record for most games played by a Seahawk with 183 in the first game, led off with a single to right field before stealing second on a failed pickoff attempt. After a pair of outs, Papa scored the go-ahead run on an error by the shortstop. Delleani then made amends for his two-run error with his first collegiate home run, a two-run blast to right field, to put Wagner up 7-4.
Junior rhp Dan Lanzano (E. Brunswick, NJ / E. Brunswick) then entered in the top of the seventh and closed out the doubleheader sweep with his third save of the year, yielding one run in helping Wagner to the 7-5 win.
Despite not having his best stuff, sophomore lhp Joe Testa (Brick, NJ / Brick) struck out nine and gave up four runs, three earned, in 6.0 innings, in moving to 5-4 on the season.
Every Wagner regular collected a hit on the day led by Papa (4-6) and Drechsel (3-5).
The two teams will conclude their three-game set with a nine-inning contest tomorrow, starting at 12 pm.
