April 29, 2007

Box Score

Staten Island, NY - Needing to win all four games to stay in the race for a NEC playoff berth the Wagner Seahawks (12-26; 7-9 NEC) did just that with a hard-earned 8-5 win over Fairleigh Dickinson (8-31; 3-12 NEC) in today's series finale at Dr. Bill Willetts Field. After the Knights took their first lead of the series with three runs in the top of the third, the Seahawks put three runs on the scoreboard in each the next two innings to go up by an insurmountable margin of 8-3 on their way to the 8-5 win.

Sophomore Peter Delleani (Manalapan, NJ / CBA) got the Seahawks rolling in the first with a base hit through the left side that scored freshman Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ / Freehold). Wagner plated another run in the second when classmate Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) scored on an error by the third baseman.

FDU then rallied for three runs on three hits in the top of the third to go in front for the first time all weekend at 3-2.

The lead would be short-lived as senior Joseph DiGeronimo (Hawthorne, NJ / Hawthorne) led off the bottom of the third with a double to left field. He advanced to third on a Delleani infield-single. Senior Matt Mastrianni (Ringoes, NJ / Hunterdon Central) picked up an RBI when he reached on a fielder's choice while tying up the score at 3-3. Freshman Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) then put Wagner up for good with a mamouth home run to right center, the deepest part of the field, to make it 5-3.

FDU had a chance to rally in the fourth as the first two batters reached safely only to see Jeff Furey bunt into a double-play to erase any chance the Knights had for a comeback.

Wagner then put up another three spot in the bottom of the inning as they batted around for the third time in today's doubleheader. Senior Pat Rogers (Middletown, NJ / Brookdale CC) doubled to lead off the inning before advancing to third on a throwing error by the pitcher. He was brought around on sophomore Chris Drechsel's (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) single down the left field line to extend the lead to 6-3. Wagner would tack on two more runs to go up 8-3.

FDU would score runs in the fifth and sixth but would not get any closer, losing 8-5.

Sophomore Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn) improved to 2-0 on the year, striking out two in 2.0 innings of relief. Freshman Bobby Tretola (Union, NJ /Roselle Catholic) picked up his second save of the day, pitching a scoreless seventh.

Stephen Eng gave up five earned runs and struck out two over 3.0 innings to fall to 1-6.