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Staten Island, NY - Senior RHP Ryan Van Spronsen turned in his second-straight complete-game victory and classmate Eddie Brown (Edison, NJ / St. Joseph's (Metuchen) / Seton Hall) scored the decisive run in the bottom of the eighth inning to lift Wagner to a 2-1 come-from-behind victory over LIU Brooklyn in the first of four games between the teams at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 13-22 and 9-8 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while snapping their four-game losing streak as the Blackbirds fall to 13-20 and 5-8 in the league. The teams will resume play tomorrow with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm.

Van Spronsen (5-1) was outstanding again, striking out a career-best matching nine while scattering one run on seven hits and a walk over 9.0 dominating innings. The Canadian native got stronger as the game wore on, facing the minimum nine batters over the final three frames and struck out the side in the bottom of the ninth in securing his conference-leading fifth complete game.

After both teams squandered multiple scoring opportunities over the first four innings, LIU Brooklyn finally got on the board in the top of the fifth inning. With one out, Ben Greve delievered a single, before Tyler Jones moved him to third with a successful hit-and-run through the right side. Pete Leonello then opened the scoring with a sacrifice bunt up the right side, allowing Greve to score the game's first run. Van Spronsen would limit the damage to just one run as he induced the next batter into a routine fly for the final out of the frame.

Wagner would threaten in the bottom part of the inning, before going down in order in the bottom of the sixth.

The Seahawks finally broke through in the bottom of the seventh inning. Senior Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) was plunked leading off the frame, before moving to second on classmate Hayden Hunter's (Santa Monica, CA / Notre Dame) sacrifice bunt. Junior Nick Alfano (Coral Springs, FL / North Broward Prep) moved Higgins just 90 feet from home with a single up the middle. Sophomore Ian Miller (Downingtown, PA / Bishop Shanahan) tied the game up at 1-1 with a RBI single through the left side, plating Higgins.

After Van Spronsen retired the Blackbirds in order in the top half of the eighth, the Green & White were back at it in the bottom part of the inning. Brown saw four-straight balls to lead off the frame in collecting the first Wagner walk of the game. After moving to second on a Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ / Monroe Township) sacirfice bunt, Brown broke for third and LIU Brooklyn catcher Tyler Jones' throw went to left field, allowing Brown to score what would prove to be the winning run.

Pitching with a lead for the first time all game, a  reenergized Van Spronsen turned in perhaps his most impressiving performance of the year. The Canadian hurler retired Julian Castro swinging, then got Derek Stupski looking with a nasty hook, before striking out Mike Garcia with a curve on a 3-2 offering for the final out of the game.

Alfano led a 10-hit Wagner attack, going 3-for-3 with a double. Dini was 2-for-3 with a sacrifice in extending his hitting streak to 15 games and is now batting a team-best .303, including posting a .368 mark during conference games. Miller rounded out the top performers for the Seahawks, going 2-for-4 with his team-leading 11th multi-hit game of the year.

Jones was the lone Blackbird with multiple-hits, finishing up 2-for-4. LIU Brooklyn RHP Chris Franzese (3-4) was the tough-luck loser, allowing two runs on 10 hits while recording four strikeouts.

NOTES:
* Van Spronsen has struck out 43 over 66.0 innings while posting a miniscule 1.91 ERA over eight starts.

* In five NEC starts, he is 3-1 with four complete games, 30 strikeouts and a 1.84 ERA over 44.0 innings ... Additionally, Van Spronsen has pitched 44.0 out of a possible 46.0 innings on the mound as the Seahawks have gone 4-1 during that time.

* The Canadian native has gone at least eight innings in each of his last seven starts while allowing less than three runs six times.

* His nine strikeouts match his career-high set earlier this season in a win at Jacksonville (3/10).

* Van Spronsen picked off two runners, giving him a NEC-leading seven on the year, and held LIU Brooklyn hitless in five at-bats with runners in scoring position. During league play, he has limited opposing batters to a .147 average (5-for-34) with runners in scoring position. 

* Van Spronsen's nine K's also give him 152 strikeouts for his career, moving him past former teammate and Washington Nationals draftee Kyle Morrison and Joe Doyle into 10th place in the Wagner all-time annals.

* Dini has now hit safely in 15 games, giving him the longest such streak by a Green & White player since 2007, when eventual Baltimore Oriole draft pick Joey DiGeronimo batted safely in 20-straight games to start the season. He has hit safely in 21-of-22 since going hitless at Georgia Tech (3/13) a month ago today.

* Today's win came on head coach Jim Carone's 31st birthday ... The Green & White skipper is now 10-1 as a Division I player and coach.

* Wagner improved to 9-0, all-time, vs. LIU Brooklyn at Richmond County Bank Ballpark with seven of those victories coming by three runs or less ... The Seahawks also improved to 24-5 against the Blackbirds since the 2004 season, including notching an 11-1 mark on Staten Island during that time.

* Van Spronsen moves to 2-0, all-time, against LIU Brooklyn and has 18 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA over 24.0 career innings - spanning three games.

* Since moving to Richmond County Bank Ballpark, Wagner is now 64-32 (44-23 NEC) at the Stadium.