BOX SCORE

Staten Island, NY - Wagner picked up its 11th-straight victory at home and its second in three years over St. John's by a 5-2 count at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. The Seahawks improve to 9-12 while the Red Storm falls to 16-10 while seeing their four-game winning streak snapped.

St. John's scored runs in each of the first two frames before Wagner dented the board for three runs in the bottom of the third. The Green & White added insurance runs in the bottom of the fourth and bottom of the eighth inning en route to the 5-2 victory.

Sophomore Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) energized a 10-hit Wagner attack, going 3-for-4 with a double while also contributing a team-best four assists in the field. 

The Red Storm struck first with a run in the top of the first. Scott Ferrara drew a leadoff walk before advancing to third with one out on a Joe Panik double. Greg Hopkins opened the scoring with a sacrifice fly  St. John's added an unearned run in the top of the second inning on a Ferrara RBI single.

After being silenced in the first two frames, Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) and Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon) led off with a pair of singles before senior Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) drove in the junior duo with a two-run triple to the left-center gap. Junior Joe Jamison (West Caldwell, NJ / James Caldwell) followed with a sacrifice fly to deep centerfield, plating Csakai while giving the Seahawks a 3-2 lead.

The Green & White added to the lead with a two-out rally in the bottom of the fourth inning while chasing Red Storm LHP Brendan Lobban. Martutartus doubled down the left-field line before Csakai walked. Jamison then greeted  reliever Eddie Medina with a RBI single through the left side.

In the bottom of the eighth, Wagner plated an insurance run. Freshman Gaby Ramirez (San Juan, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)) led off with a double before later scoring on a wild pitch, extending the lead out to 5-2.

St. John's had its chances over the final seven innings but stranded nine runners, including leaving runners in scoring position in five of those innings.

The Seahawk pitching staff settled down, scattering just four hits over the last seven innings. Freshman Christian Rautenstrauch (Charlotte, NC / Providence Day) collected his first collegiate win, striking out two while yielding two runs, one earned, on five hits over 5.0 innings.

The foursome of Andy Wells (R-Sr., Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's), Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata), Ian Karlsson (Jr., Brooklyn, NY / Xaverian) and David Rees (Jr., Staten Island, NY / Xavier) closed out the game with 4.0 scoreless innings, yielding just two hits. Rees capped his first save of the year by getting the final two outs.

Martutartus joined Higgins as Seahawks with multiple-hits, going 2-for-4 with two runs and a double while Jamison was 1-for-3 with two RBI.

Joe Panik led the way for the Red Storm, going 3-for-4 with two doubles. Lobban (0-1) took the loss, yielding four runs on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 3.2 innings.

Wagner travels to Fairleigh Dickinson for the first of four games on Friday, April 9 at 3:00 pm.

NOTES: Higgins' three-hit game is his team-best third of the year after failing to record one all of last year ... Wagner's 11 straight wins at home, dating back to last season, is currently tied with Charlotte for the fourth-best active streak in the NCAA ... Arizona State leads the way with 25-straight victories ... The Seahawks are 5-0 at home this season and 38-13 all-time at Richmond County Bank Ballpark (2008) ... The Green & White previously bested then No. 22 St. John's 4-3 on April 9, 2008 ... Prior to that, the Red Storm had won 13-straight games against Wagner ... The top four Seahawk hitters went 2-for-15 (.133) while the No. 5-No. 9 hitters combined to go 8-for-19 (.421) ... The Green & White now have 33 saves over the last three years after recording 31 over the six years prior to 2008 ... Wagner has defeated a Big East team in each of the last three years ... The game was delayed 45 minutes in the bottom of the fifth when an errant pitch struck home plate umpire Richard Franco in the forearm, forcing him to leave the game ... Infield umpire Joseph DeCrescenzo then moved behind the plate for the final four-plus frames.