BOX SCORE

Daytona Beach, FL - After being shut out for the first time all year the Wagner offense came to life in a 12-11 victory over VCU in the Bethune Cookman Invitational at Jackie Robinson Park. With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 1-6 while collecting the program's first ever win over the Rams (9-5) out of the Colonial Athletic Association.

Senior Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) led the 13-hit Seahawk attack, going 3-for-3 with two runs and two stolen bases while reaching base safely in all six tripe to the plate. That marks the second time that Csakai has reached base safely all six times in a game, having done so against William & Mary as a freshman on April 1, 2007.

Wagner jumped out to an 11-5 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, ripping off seven unanswered run after VCU had taken a 5-4 lead. The Rams would continue to fight and claw, scoring six-straight runs while tying the game up at 11-11 in the top of the seventh inning. Junior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) provided the game-winning tally when the Nutmeg State native greeted reliever Joe Van Meter with a double down the left field line, plating senior Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) while putting the Green & White in front for good at 12-11.

The Seahawks wasted little time in getting the offense going today. Csakai led the game off with a single to right field. Junior Jared Gruccio (Landisville, NJ / Buena Regional) followed with a bunt single, pushing Csakai over to second. Junior Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) loaded up the bases, reaching on catcher's interference. Avella made it 1-0 Green & White with a RBI groundout. McDonnell extended the lead out to 2-0 with a sacrifice fly, plating Gruccio.

VCU got those runs back in the top of the second inning, scoring one on a double play ground out before tying it up at 2-2 on a Taylor Perkins RBI triple.

Wagner went back in front with two runs in bottom part of the inning. With two outs and junior Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon) on first, Csakai singled him over to third with a well-executed hit-and-run on a 0-2 pitch. Csakai moved up to second on a failed pick off and the pair were brought around when Gruccio singled up the middle, giving the Seahawks a 4-2 lead.

The Rams stormed back with three runs in the top of the third, taking a 5-4 lead on Brent Mikionis' two-run home run.

The Green & White reclaimed the lead once again at 6-5 on Tommy Higgins' (So, Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) second hit of the game, a two-run single up the middle that plated McDonnell and junior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy).

The Seahawks batted around against VCU reliever Brennan Huelce in the bottom of the fourth while adding five runs to lead. Avella provided the big blast in the frame, hitting a three-run home run to deep right center.

VCU got one of the runs back in the top of the fifth on a Mikionis RBI ground out, cutting the deficit to 11-6.

Junior LHP Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) exited after 5.0 innings of solid pitching, allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits and two walks while striking out one.

The Rams rudely welcomed Seahawk reliever RHP Ryan Van Spronsen (Brantford, Ontartio / Assumption) with three runs in the top of the sixth inning. Perkins hit a two-run home run before Greg Fujii scored on a Richard Gonzalez ground out, trimming the Green & White lead to 11-9.

VCU completed the six-run comeback on a two-run bases loaded single off the bat of Perkins tying the game up at 11-11 in the top of the seventh, while moving the go-ahead run to second base. Junior reliever LHP David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier), who had entered on the previous play, settled down and struck out the next hitter before stranding the go-ahead run just 90 feet from home with another K while setting up the stage for McDonnell.

Rees then provided the game's first clean 1-2-3 frame in the top of the eighth before closing out the game with a scoreless ninth inning while evening his record at 1-1. Rees pitched a career-best matching 2.2 inning with three strikeouts and helped close out the Rams with a pick-off in the top of the ninth inning.

In two appearances at Jackie Robinson Park, Rees struck out eight while not walking a batter over 4.2 innings scoreless innings. He now leads the squad in strikeouts with 11.

Standing out on offense besides Csakai was McDonnell, who went 2-for-2 with two runs and a double while reaching base safely four times with a sacrifice fly. Higgins also had a solid game, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and a double. Gruccio rounded out the Seahawks with double-digits in hits, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Avella homer and drove in four while providing the power on offense.

NOTES: McDonnell's game-winning hit was the 100th of his career, making him the 41st member of the Wagner 100-hit club ... Over his last four games, he is batting .615 (8-13) with three doubles, five RBI and three runs ... Avella's four RBI move into fourth place on the all-time Seahawk career list with 119, pushing him past Wagner Hall of Famer Johh VonAhnen ... He also added to his school-record total with his 36th home run and has 14 RBI in just seven games ... The Seahawks lost all three meetings with VCU in 2007, including a 10-9 walk-off loss ... All three teams in the BCU Invitational play at Minor League parks (Staten Island Yankees (WC), Daytona Cubs (BCU), Richmond Flying Squirrels (VCU) ... Csakai has now reached base safely in each of his last seven trips to the plate ... Perkins paced a 17-hit Ram attack, going 4-5 with five RBI while falling a double short of the cycle ... Aaron Morgan (1-1) took the loss, allowing one run in 2.1 innings.