Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score

Staten Island, NY – After dropping an extra-inning affair in the day's first game, 4-3, the Wagner College softball team fought off a powerful Robert Morris squad to take the second game of Sunday's Northeast Conference (NEC) doubleheader, 8-7, in eight innings.

The two-game split gives the Seahawks an 8-18 record on the year, and a 2-2 mark in the NEC. Wagner also handed
Robert Morris its first NEC loss, as the Colonials move to 14-12 overall and 3-1 in league play.

With two freshmen ace pitchers at his disposal, head coach Glen Payne put them to use in Sunday's doubleheader, giving Samantha Bedker (Phoenix, AZ / Sandra Day O'Connor) the start in the circle for game one. The first-year righty made quick work of her first three batters in the top of the first inning, before the Seahawks opened the scoring in the bottom half of the frame. Sophomore Kristen Matteoni (Reno, NV / Galena) continued her stellar weekend performance, leading off the game with a rope double to left center field. Matteoni crossed the plate two batters later when freshman Kelsey Parker (Lynnwood, WA / Lynnwood) brought her home on a sacrifice fly to right field, giving the home team the early, 1-0, lead.

Robert Morris answered the Seahawks scores with two of its own, as Samantha Santillo belted a two-run homer to left field, to put her squad up 2-1.

Freshman Jessica Albarran (Corona, CA / Eleanor Roosevelt) evened the score with one swing in her first plate appearance, blasting her second homer of the year.

The pitchers dueled it out until the bottom of the fifth inning when Wagner took the 3-2 lead on Parker's second RBI single of the day, scoring Matteoni from second.

The Colonials wouldn't go away easily, as the visitors tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning with a two-out score to send the Seahawks into their third extra-inning game of the year.

Robert Morris kept their momentum rolling in the eighth inning after Bedker gave up two walks. Santillo, again, came through with a clutch RBI, to put the Colonials up 4-3.

A leadoff hit by sophomore MacKenzie Alfaro (Riverside, CA / Riverside) gave Wagner life in the bottom of the eighth, but RMU's Nicole Sleith retired the next three Seahawks to wrap up the one-run win.

Sleith earned her 10^th victory of the year for Robert Morris, while Bedker's career-high seven strikeout day wasn't enough, dropping the freshman to a 2-7 record.

Coach Payne gave the ball to first-year Olivia Zwick (Surrey, Canada / Earl Marriot) to begin the matinee game against the Colonials, with Zwick looking for her third win of the year. Zwick gave up just two hits in the first two innings, giving her offense some room to put runs on the board.

The Seahawks did just that in the bottom of the second inning as five different Seahawks recorded hits, en route to a nine-batter, three-run inning.

Robert Morris fought back again though, putting up five runs in their next three innings to take a 5-3 lead heading into the sixth inning.

Wagner exploded in the bottom of the sixth frame, taking the Colonials for four runs on four hits, including hits by Carley Nicoletti (Plainville, NY / C.W. Baker), Alfaro, Parker, and Brittany Huss (Anthem, AZ / Boulder Creek). Alfaro's two-RBI single, teamed with one each by Parker and Huss, gave the Seahawks a 7-5 lead going into the seventh inning. Parker's lone single of the game, extended her hit streak to an astonishing 12 games.

The never-say-die Colonials tied the game in the top of the seventh with a two-out, two-run home run by Santillo that hit the top of the fence and bounced over, to even the score at seven apiece.

Bedker, who came in to relieve Zwick in the top of the sixth inning allowed one Colonial hit in the eighth inning, but gave the Seahawks the chance to win it in the bottom half, giving up no runs.

After Matteoni led off the inning getting hit by a pitch for the second consecutive time, the Seahawks played small ball advancing Matteoni around to scoring position. Huss became the hero hitting a walkoff two-out single to right field, scoring Matteoni and giving Wagner its first extra-inning win of the year.

Bedker was credited with the win, as the two freshman pitchers combined for 11 hits and three strikeouts.

Wagner will dip back into the non-conference schedule on Tuesday when the Green & White travel to Temple University for a doubleheader against the Owls.