May 14, 2008
Box Score
Old Westbury, NY - Wagner collected its 24th win of the year matching the school-record set by the 2000 Northeast Conference (NEC) Champions with a 10-7 victory over NYIT at President's Field.
Every starter for the Green & White hit safely while the offense scored 10 runs on 13 hits in improving to 24-25. NYIT scored seven runs on nine hits while falling to 17-28-2.
Freshman LHP Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) struck out a career-best six and did not walk a batter while yielding one run on three hits over 5.0 innings in improving to 5-3. Junior RHP Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn) came on the ninth and collected all three outs in recording his 10th save of the year in 11 chances.
NYIT struck first in the bottom of the second, taking a 1-0 when Effrey Valdez's hit his team-leading ninth home run over the left-field fence.
After being silenced over the first three innings the Green & White exploded for four runs in the top of the fourth while sending 10 batters to the plate.
Sophomore Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) led off with a single to left field. After moving over to second on a passed ball he advanced to third on a deep fly out. Classmate Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) scored Avella with a bloop-single to right-center. Junior Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) then drew a walk before freshman Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) reached on catcher's interference to load the bases. Sophomore Kevin Payne (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) singled to center, scoring McDonnell while giving Wagner the 2-1 lead. Freshman Brian Martutartus (Carlsad, CA / La Costa Canyon) concluded the scoring with a two-run single to right that scored Drechsel and Lucas while extending the lead out to 4-1.
The Seahawks added to the lead with two runs in the top of the fifth. Freshman Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) crushed a double to center field to lead off the frame. After advancing to third on a wild pitch he scored on Drechsel's one-out sacrifice fly to deep-left. Lucas made it 6-1 when he blasted his second home run of the year to right field.
Sophomore Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) extended his hitting-streak to nine games in the top of the sixth with one of his patented infield singles while also collecting his 100th career hit at Wagner. Classmate Joe Conforti (Staten Island, NY / Farrell) moved Csakai over to second on a single to center while forcing NYIT to the bullpen. Avella then singled through the left-side, his third hit of the game, to score Csakai and extend the lead out to 7-1. Boyd followed with his second double of the game, a blast to deep-center that scored Conforti. McDonnell made it 9-1 with a RBI ground-out that plated Avella before Drechsel extended the lead out to 10-1 with a RBI-single to left.
NYIT would cut the lead to 10-7 with three runs in the sixth and the ninth frames before Huebner extinguished the Bears' rally.
Wagner welcomes Sacred Heart for a 1 pm doubleheader on Friday at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
