April 8, 2008
Stats
Staten Island, NY - Sophomore Kate Eshelman (Reno, NV/McQueen) had another great outing on the hill as well as at the plate as she and senior rightfielder Ami Iwicki (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) would drive in five runs to push the Seahawks (14-15, 3-5 NEC) past the Temple University Owls (9-12, 3-5 Atlantic-10) 7-2 in the first game of a nonconference doubleheader at the Lower Athletic Field this afternoon. They would go on to fall in the second game, 5-3.
In the win, Wagner grabbed hold of the victory for good in the bottom of the second inning when they would get four runs on a pair of two-RBI doubles by Eshelman and Iwicki, tacking onto a 1-0 lead they had when current Northeast Conference "Player of the Week", senior catcher Victoria Batistelli (Huntington Beach, CA/Huntington Beach) singled through the left side to drive in freshman centerfielder Emily Pierce (Phoenix, AZ/Desert Vista) for a run in the bottom of the first inning.
In the bottom of the fifth inning the Seahawks extended their 5-2 lead to make the final score of 7-2 on a brilliant play by junior outfielder Cindy Bagnoli (Old Tappan, NJ/Old Tappan).
With senior shortstop Katie Stevens (Reno, NV/Wooster) on second and Bagnoli on third Ami Iwicki hit what looked like a routine play to the left side of the infield - but instead of going for the easy out at first the Owls decided to get the out at third in Bagnoli. Bagnoli shiftily avoided two tags in a run-down from third to home and eventually touched home plate for the run unscathed in a dazzling play of slippery base-running.
Freshman third baseman Jamie El-Aazami (Houston, TX/Cypress Hills) drove in a run with a bunt single for the seventh run and Kate Eshelman finished her complete game performance securing the win for Wagner with only giving up a hit in the top of the seventh.
The Reno native moves to 5-4 on the season giving up eight hits, two earned runs while striking out four and only walking three.
In the second game, the weather got colder as the sun receded behind Todt Hill in centerfield, and so did the Wagner offense, unfortunately.
Senior Ami Iwicki (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) made her second appearance on the mound in as many days for the Seahawks as she got the start as she was trying to continue her performance of three perfect innings from the day before.
She started the game brilliantly for the first three innings, giving up only one hit and no runs over that span. However, the Owls' would get their offense hoo'ing in the top of the third inning when they would put across three runs on three hits and an error.
The Seahawks answered right back, threatening to even the score in the following half inning after junior infielder Andrea Lazzari (Reno, NV/Wooster) continued her torrid hitting pace this season with a homer to right field - her sixth of 2008, which is already a single-season best for her - with Victoria Batistelli on first base after she walked.
But that's all the runs they would get that inning, and the one-run deficit would grow to three the following inning (top of the fifth) when Temple would get two runs on a homerun to left field. Afterward sophomore Danielle Wagoner (Temecula, CA/Temecula Valley) came in to relieve Iwicki and got out of the inning by inducing a double-play ball.
That score would stay the same all the way to the Seahawks' last chance at bat in the bottom of the seventh.
With darkness looming to shut the light off on the day the Seahawks' hopes to come back in the game dimmed as well. After Emily Pierce came around to score on a nice hustle play from second to home after Kate Eshelman reached on an error by the first baseman to cut the Temple lead to one, Victoria Batistelli grounded to the shortstop for the final out of the game.
Iwicki was tagged with the loss (0-1), her first ever in five career appearances.
Wagner's next set of games will come this weekend when they travel to Monmouth and Mount St. Mary's for pivotal NEC doubleheaders. First pitch down in West Long Branch, New Jersey on Saturday is scheduled for 1 p.m.
