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Staten Island, NY - Senior RHP Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) fanned a season-best matching nine over a career-high 8.1 innings of work in lifting Wagner (18-29; 12-16 NEC) to an impressive 7-1 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson (12-33; 9-19 NEC) on Senior Day at Richmond County Bank Ballpark. The Seahawks scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning before putting the game away with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Despite only winning one game this weekend, the Green & White remain alive in the hunt for the fourth and final playoff spot. Wagner (12-16 NEC) would need to sweep Sacred Heart (19-9 NEC) while having LIU (18-9 NEC) sweep CCSU (15-13 NEC) as the Blue Devils own the tiebreaker if the teams finished tied, as a result of having one victory against first-place Monmouth (22-6 NEC).

The Seahawks assumed the early lead with a pair of runs in the opening frame. Senior Joe Conforti (Staten Island, NY / Farrell) was plunked leading off the game before advancing to third on an Eddie Brown (Jr., Edison, NJ / St. Joseph's (Metuchen)) single. After Brown was picked off, senior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) hit a grounder was booted by the shortstop. On the play, Conforti crossed the plate for the first run of the game. After a Boyd stolen base and a strikeout, freshman Ian Miller (Downington, PA / Bishop Shanahan) delivered a two-out RBI single, scoring Boyd.

FDU broke through for a run in the top of the third inning. Ryan Kresky singled with two outs before moving to third on a Steven LaForge single. Kresky then came around to score when Brian Dillon hit a single off of first base, slicing the deficit to 2-1. Lucas then settled down, striking out the next batter he faced en route to retiring next seven in a row – including five by strikeout.

Knight starter RHP Mike Eliasen also settled into a grove retiring 11 in a row – including setting down the side in order in third, fourth and fifth innings.

FDU threatened again in the top of the sixth inning as LaForge and Eric Pollag each singled, sandwiched between a fly out, but the pair was left stranded when Lucas struck out DJ Robinson before inducing Joe Martino into a fly out.

After Wagner threatened in the bottom of the sixth inning, the hometown team finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh inning with five runs while batting around and for all intents and purposes putting the game away.

Junior Hayden Hunter (Santa Monica, CA / Notre Dame) led off with a single through the left side before senior Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) singled sharply to left field. Freshman Dave Pepe (Caldwell, NJ / James Caldwell) then loaded the bases up with a bunt single. Conforti chased home Hunter with a sacrifice fly while moving Rice to third. Brown then singled to center field, scoring Rice while advancing Pepe to second base while chasing Eliasen from the game.

Freshman Ian Vazquez (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico / Perkiomen (PA)) greeted Craig Warner with a RBI single, scoring Pepe. Junior Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) then loaded up the bases when he was plunked. Senior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) extended the lead out to 6-1 with a sacrifice fly that scored Brown. Miller then capped the five-run frame with a run-scoring single that plated Vazquez while providing what would be the final 7-1 tally.

Lucas set the side down in order in the top of the eighth inning before retiring the first batter he faced in the ninth. He was then lifted for senior LHP David Rees (Staten Island, NY / Xavier), who entered and got the final two outs.

Brown, Hunter, Miller, Pepe and Rice all notched two hits for the Seahawks, which out-hit the Knights by a 12-6 count.

Lucas (4-5) earned the win, yielding just one run on six hits with nine strikeouts, against zero walks, over 8.1 innings.

LaForge went 2-for-4, leading the way for FDU. Eliasen (2-3) took the loss, allowing six runs, five earned, on nine hits and a pair of walks over 6.1 innings.

The Seahawks travel to Sacred Heart on Thursday, May 12 at 3:00 pm for the first of four games.

NOTES: The victory gives the Wagner senior class its 102nd victory, breaking the former record of 101 set by the Class of 2010 ... Lucas is now leading the team in wins (4), ERA (3.52), innings (64.0), strikeouts (48) and is tied with classmate Dale Hering (Belle Mead, NJ / Montgomery) for lowest opposing average (.270) ... During NEC-play, he is 3-2 with a team-leading 2.72 ERA to go along with 34 strikeouts and a .252 opposing batting average over 43.0 innings ... He has won three-straight starts, striking out 22, against just two walks, while posting a 0.79 ERA during that time - highlighted by two-straight nine-strikeout, zero-walk performances ... Prior to the game, Boyd, Conforti, Hering, Lucas, McDonnell, Rice and Rees were honored during a Senior Day ceremony ... All seven seniors played ... Boyd was lifted to an applause before the top of the seventh inning with Conforti, McDonnell and Rice all being pulled from the field in the final two innings ... Rees relieved Lucas with one out in the ninth and Hering got his first career Wagner at-bat in the bottom of the eighth inning.