BOX SCORE

Dover, DE – Wagner stranded 13 batters and hit just .077 (1-13) with runners in scoring position in dropping the series finale at Delaware State 5-2. The Hornets also took advantage of three Green & White errors that led to three unearned runs.

Delaware State is now 8-9-1 while the Seahawks are 6-6.

The Hornets struck first with a run in the bottom of the third. Brandon Crist reached with a one-out bloop single to right field. After moving over to second on a sacrifice, he scored on Troy Drummond's RBI single to left field.

Wagner immediately answered when sophomore Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) led off the fourth with a home run to left field, tying the game up at 1-1. Freshman Tom Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) followed with a double down the left field line before advancing to third on an error by the leftfielder. Senior Chris Drechsel (Cranford, NJ / Cranford) gave the Seahawks their first lead of the game at 2-1 with a one-out sacrifice fly to left.

Delaware State tied the game up at 2-2 in the bottom of the fourth on Justin Bittner's solo home run to right field. The next time up, the Hornets grabbed a 3-2 lead on Jose Sanchez's RBI double to left. The damage could have been worse but sophomore LHP David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier) came out of the bullpen and coaxed a grounder back to the mound to quell the Delaware State threat.

The Hornets again threatened in the sixth with runners on first-and-third and one out but sophomore reliever LHP Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) escaped the jam with a strikeout and a lazy fly to right field.

In the bottom of the seventh, Troy Drummond hit a double to right-center but was gunned down at third as sophomore Joe Jamison (West Caldwell, NJ / James Caldwell) made a perfect throw to sophomore Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon), who in turn fired a strike to third.

Delaware State would continue to fight before finally breaking through in the bottom of the eighth. Ross Babineaux reached on an error and with two outs James Johnson capitalized on the miscue with a two-run home run on the ninth pitch of the at-bat, extending the lead out to 5-2.

Lucas went 3-4 with a home run and a double and Conforti was 2-4, leading the way for Wagner.

Bittner (2-0) struck out three over 5.2 innings while yielding two runs, one earned, on seven hits and four walks. He also was 1-4 at the plate with his third home run in the last two games.

Freshman Mark Holmes (Manalapan, NJ / Manalapan) was the hard-luck loser, yielding three runs, two earned, while not walking a batter over 4.2 innings in his first collegiate start.

Rice was outstanding in relief, striking out two while yielding just two unearned runs over 2.2 innings.

The Seahawks begin their second season of baseball at Richmond County Bank Ballpark on Wednesday, March 25 against Lafayette. First pitch is slated for 3:00 pm