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Staten Island, NY - Senior RHP Dale Hering (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery) struck out a career-high eight over 5.0 solid innings of work in helping lift Wagner to a 6-4 victory over Central Connecticut State while garnering a split of today's doubleheader at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. In victory, the Seahawks improve to 4-13 and 3-3 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Blue Devils fall to 6-7-1 and 4-2 in league play.

Hering struck out the side in the top of the first inning en route to matching junior RHP Ryan Van Spronsen (Brantford, Ontario / Assumption College) for the most punchouts by a Green & White pitcher while improving to 2-2 on the year. Hering yielded four runs on six hits and three walks over 5.0 solid innings.

CCSU took the early lead with a pair of runs in the top of the second. Tyler McIntyre drew a two-out walk before scoring on AJ Lowers' RBI triple. Anthony Turgeon made it 2-0 when his RBI single chased home McIntyre.

Wagner immediately responded with four runs in the bottom part of the frame, including three with two outs. Junior Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) drew a one-out walk before scoring on classmate Hayden Hunter's (Santa Monica, CA / Notre Dame) RBI double. After Hunter was picked off at second, senior Joe Conforti (Staten Island, NY / Farrell) began a two-out rally with a single to left field while reaching safely for the fifth-straight at-bat. After advancing to third on a stolen base and an error, Conforti tied the game up at 2-2 on Jack Rice's (Sr. Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) RBI single. 

Freshman Ian Vazquez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)) then put the Seahawks up 3-2 when his RBI triple down the left field line plated Rice. Vazquez then came around to score on an Ian Miller (Fr., Downington, PA / Bishop Shanahan) RBI single up the middle, giving the Green & White a 4-2 lead.

The Blue Devils battled back to tie the game up at 4-4 in the top of the fourth inning and appeared poised to take the lead. With runners at second-and-third, Hering struck out Sean Miller Jones and Pat Epps to evade further damage.

Wagner reclaimed the lead with a run in the bottom part of the fifth inning. Senior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) led off with a single before senior Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) and Higgins each drew walks, loading up the bases with no outs. Hunter proceeded to give the Green & White an insurmountable 5-4 lead with a sacrifice fly, plating McDonnell.

CCSU threatened to tie it up in the top of the sixth inning with a two-out rally against senior RHP David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier). After the 2010 NEC Second Team closer retired the first two batters he faced, Turgeon drew a walk before Jack Matuszak blooped a double down the right field line. On the play, Turgeon rounded third and was going to try and score before he appeared to pull his hamstring and was tagged out by Higgins, ending the threat.

Senior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) added an insurance run in the bottom of the sixth inning with a RBI single, plating Miller, who reached after being hit by a pitch.

Rees then fired off a 1-2-3 seventh inning for his second save of the year.

All nine Wagner regulars reached base safely with eight recording hits and the Seahawks notched 10 hits for the game. Leading the way was Vazquez and McDonnell, who each went 2-for-3, while Hunter was 1-for-2 with a RBI double and a sacrifice fly.

Matuszak and Turgeon each recorded three hits, pacing an eight-hit CCSU attack.

The teams will conclude their four-game series with a doubleheader tomorrow at 12:00 pm.