May 22, 2008
Box Score
Atlantic City, NJ - No. 2 Central Connecticut (25-22) handed No. 3 Wagner (27-27) an 8-4 loss in the first round of the Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament at Bernie Robbins Stadium. The Seahawks now move to the losers' bracket and will square off with No. 4 Mount St. Mary's tomorrow at approximately 3:30 pm.
The two teams who combined for just 24 runs over four previous games erupted for a combined 12 runs on 25 hits off of two of the four All-NEC pitchers.
CCSU would score first with a single run in the bottom of the second. Pat Epps and Jak Kidd led off with singles. Senior LHP Joe Testa (Brick, NJ / Brick) then induced his second double-play of the game and appeared to be out of harm's way. Kyle Zarotney then drew a full-count walk and Sean Parker opened the game's scoring with a RBI single to left field, plating Epps. On the throw into second, Zarotney tried to score but was thrown out at home on a perfect strike from Boyd.
The Blue Devils then struck for five runs on five hits and a error while batting around in the third.
Sean Miller-Jones led off with a four-pitch walk. Sean Allaire laced a double to leftfield. Anthony Scialdone followed with a RBI-single to make it 2-0 CCSU. Casey Walko then hit a RBI-double to right-center. After a groundout, Kidd extended the lead out to 4-0 with an infield-single. Tommy Meade reached on an error to load up the bases. Zarotney concluded the big inning with a two-run single through the left-side, extending the lead out to 6-0.
Wagner would fight right back with three runs on five hits while sending eight batters to the plate in the top of the fourth.
Second Team All-NEC selection Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) singled to left-center with one out. After moving to third on a single by freshman Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown), Drechsel scored on a Kevin Payne (So., Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) sacrifice fly. Freshman Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon) and Second Team All-NEC selection Damian Csakai (So. Freehold, NJ / Freehold) followed with singles to load up the bases.. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, sophomore Joe Conforti (Staten Island, NY / Farrell) laced a two-run double to left-center, cutting the deficit to 6-3.
CCSU would extend the lead out to 8-3 with a pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the fifth. Meade reached on a one-out error before Zarotney walked. The pair would come around to score on Miller Jones' two-run double to left-center.
The Green & White would get one of those runs back in the top of the sixth. Payne walked with one out and advanced to third on Martutartus' third hit of the day, a double down the right-field line. Csakai brought Payne home with a RBI ground out to the cut the deficit to 8-4.
Wagner would threaten again in each of the last two innings, however both times CCSU starter pitching RHP John Tessyman induced inning-ending double plays.
Martutartus went 3-4 to lead the Wagner-offense while Csakai, Conforti and sophomore Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) all recorded two hits on the day.
Testa, the 2008 NEC Pitcher of the Year, picked up his fourth complete game of the year but yielded eight runs, six earned, while striking out one over 8.0 innings in falling to 7-5. Tessyman improved to 8-3, striking out five while yielding four runs in collecting his seventh complete game of the year..
Every Wagner batter reached safely while seven hit safely in recording 12 hits.
Allaire went 3-5 to lead CCSU while Kidd, Miller-Jones and Zarotney each had two hits.
Notes: Wagner is now just 1-4 all-time against CCSU in the NEC Tourney ... The Seahawks turned double plays in each of the first four innings ... Wagner stranded eight runners, including leaving the bases loaded in the top of the first, and two each in the fourth and two each in the fourth and sixth frames ... Wagner will be the home team for tomorrow's game against Mount St. Mary's after winning a coin flip ... Sophomore RHP Kyle Morrison (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) will go against sophomore RHP Brett Moore ...Both pitchers were outstanding last weekend as Morrison threw seven-scoreless innings against Sacred Heart while Moore threw 7.2 innings of scoreless ball in collecting the win at Quinnipiac.
