May 14, 2006
Box Score
STATEN ISLAND, NY - Long Island stormed back from a 3-1 deficit, scoring seven unanswered runs on their way to an 8-4 victory earlier today at Dr. Bill Willetts Field. Wagner falls to 14-32 and 12-9 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while LIU avoids the series sweep and improves to 11-32-1 and 8-12 in the NEC.
After spotting LIU a first-inning run, the Seahawks came back with a vengeance in the bottom of the third. With two outs, senior Nick Papa (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) belted a three-run home run to right-center for his first long-ball of the season, plating junior Ed Sudol (Wallington, NJ / Wallington), who had reached on a throwing error by LIU Pitcher Mike Maynard on the previous play, and freshman Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford). Wagner had a chance to do additional damage as freshman Mike Maffucci (Nutley, NJ / Nutley) walked on four-straight pitches before senior Joe Malfettano (Toms River, NJ / Toms River North) singled to left field and classmate Brian Scrocca (Somerville, NJ / Somerville) walked to load the bases. However, freshman Pete Delleani (Manalapan, NJ /CBA) flew out to deep left field to end the threat.
The Blackbirds chipped away at the lead scoring a run in the top of the fifth to make it 3-2 before tying the game at 3-3 in the top of the sixth on a groundout. Adam Amatucci followed that up with a two-run double to put LIU up 5-3.
In the bottom of the seventh, Papa belted a one-out triple to right center and scored on a Maffucci groundout to cut it 5-4, but that was as close as Wagner would get as LIU plated three in the top of the ninth on their way to an 8-4 victory.
Freshman rhp Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn) fell to 1-5 on the season, striking out two and yielding four runs in 5.1 solid innings of work.
Maynard (4-1) picked up the win, striking out three in 7.0 innings.
Papa led the Seahawks going 2-5 with a home run, triple, three RBI and two runs. Sudol and Malfettano rounded out the top offensive performers for the Green & White as they each went 2-4 on the day with a pair of singles.
Wagner returns to action on Tuesday, May 16 at 3:30 pm when they travel to Manhattan for their final non-conference game of the season before returning home to host Monmouth next weekend (May 20-21).
