March 17, 2007

Box Score

Rock Hill, SC - The Wagner Seahawks (3-6) took game two against Winthrop (12-11) by a 12-7 count to earn a split in today's doubleheader at the Winthrop Ballpark. Down 7-4, the Green & White scored the last eight runs of the game while holding Winthrop scoreless over the last five innings.

With the win head coach Joe Litterio defeated his former team for the first time while leading the Seahawks to just their second win ever against the Eagles in 13 meetings.

Tied 7-7 with one out in the top of the seventh, Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) got things going with a double to left field. After a fly out senior Joseph DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ / Hawthorne) was intentionally walked. Following a walk to classmate Matt Mastrianni (Ringoes, NJ / Hunterdon Central), sophomore Peter Delleani (Manalapan, NJ / CBA) was hit by a pitch to force Drechsel home and put Wagner up 8-7. Senior Ed Sudol (Wallington, NJ / Wallington) then broke the game wide-open with a bases-clearing double to make it 11-7. The Green & White would add one more run in the eighth when freshman Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) doubled to lead off the inning before coming around on a wild pitch later on in the inning.

With the way freshman Bobby Tretola (Union, NJ / Roselle Catholic) was pitching all that was really needed was a one-run lead. The right-handed reliever came in to the game with the scored tied at 7-7 and was lights out upon his entrance. He struck out two and yielded just two hits over the final 5.0 innings to pick up his first collegiate win, moving to 1-1 on the year.

After being limited to just two runs in the first game the Seahawks struck first in game two. With two outs in the top of the second, junior Dan Morvay (Jackson, NJ / Jackson Memorial) and Drechsel each singled to right field. Freshman Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) then walked to load the bases. DiGeronimo followed and came up big with a two-run single to centerfield. Mastrianni then reached on an error by the shortstop and Delleani took full advantage of the extra opportunity, singling to right center to drive in two runs and make it 4-0 Wagner.

Winthrop answered right back with three runs in the bottom part of the inning and then scored two more in the bottom of the third on a two-run double off the bat of Tommy Lentz to go up 5-4. The Eagles would put two more runs on the board in the fourth inning before the Seahawk-bats went to work.

Sudol led off the fifth with a single. After a fly out, Avella singled and Morvay walked to load the bases. Drechsel, Csakai and DiGeronimo all followed with RBI singles to tie the game up at 7-7. The Seahawks would then shut out Winthrop the rest of the way and score the next five runs to force a split on the day with the 12-7 victory.

The Wagner offense scored the 12 runs on 17 hits, led by Drechsel, who went 4-5. Also standing out on the offensive end was DiGeronimo (3 hits, 3 RBI), Sudol (3 hits, 3 RBI) and Delleani (2 hits, 3 RBI).

Ryan Mullins gave up five runs in 2.2 innings of relief to fall to 3-3 on the season.

The two teams will wrap up their three-game set tomorrow starting at 2 pm.