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Staten Island, NY - Wagner jumped out to a five-run lead before holding off a late-charging Central Connecticut squad by a 7-6 count in this weekend's series opener at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

Fueled by another stellar performance from junior RHP Ryan Casey (Paramus, NJ / St. Joseph Regional), the Seahawks improved to 14-20 and 7-6 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Blue Devils fall to 15-17 and 6-7 in the league.

Casey won for the third time in four starts while senior Jayson Keel's (Starkville, MS / Starkville / Holmes CC) delivered the game-changing hit, a bases-clearing double that staked the Green & White to an insurmountable 4-1 lead in the third inning.

CCSU opened the scoring with a two-out run in the top of the first inning on a Tyler McIntrye RBI single to right center.

After Wagner threatened in the bottom of the frame, the Seahawks broke through with a four-run third inning.  Senior Nick Alfano (Coral Springs, FL / North Broward Prep) drew a one-out walk, before junior Ian Miller (Downingtown, PA / Bishop Shanahan) hit a seeing-eye single through the left side. Chris Smith (Tampa, FL / Freedom / Ellsworth CC (IA)) then battled back from a 1-2 count to load the bases with a walk. Sophomore Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ / Monroe Township) followed with an infield single to short, plating Alfano while tying the game up at 1-1. After a fly out, Keel cleared the bases with a double off the left field wall to cap the Seahawks' four-run frame and shift the momentum.

After allowing a first-inning run and stranding a runner at second in the next inning, Casey settled down and faced the minimum over the next three innings while being aided by a pair of double-play grounders.

Wagner pushed the lead out to 6-1 in the bottom of the fifth with a pair of two-out runs, as junior Shaun Flynn (Tabernacle, NJ / Seneca / Burlington CC) singled sharply to right field with runners on first-and-second. On the play, Dini scored easily, before the throw to the infield went high over the third baseman, allowing graduate student Chase Gray (Toms River, NJ / Toms River South / Seton Hall) to score all the way from first.

Central Connecticut got one of those runs back in the top of the sixth inning on a McIntyre RBI double.

The Seahawks would continue to fight and add what would prove to be a valuable insurance run in the bottom of the seventh inning. After Miller reached via a two-base error, Smith bunted him over to third. Then with the infield playing in, Dini laced a single back up the middle to score Miller and make it a 7-2 game.

In the next half inning, the Blue Devils trimmed the lead to 7-3 with a single tally, before making things interesting in the ninth.

After knocking Casey out of the game with two-straight singles to lead off the frame, Anthony Turgeon singled off reliever RHP Anthony Battaglia (Staten Island, NY / St. Joseph By The Sea) to load up the bases. Pinch hitter Bobby Migliazza then drew a bases-loaded walk, before Dylan DelaCruz trimmed the deficit to 7-5 when he reached via a fielder's choice. Nick Palmisano then again loaded up the bases with a walk, before JP Sportman cut the lead to 7-6 with a sacrifice fly. That would be as close as CCSU would get as Battaglia hunkered down and struck out McIntrye on three-straight pitches to close out his fifth save of the year.

Dini went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBI while Miller notched his team-best 14th multi-hit game, finishing up 2-for-4 with two runs and a stolen base. Sophomore Jason Gordon (Baltimore, MD / Archbishop Curley) rounded out the multi-hit performers, going 2-for-4 while also catching an outstanding game behind the plate.

DelaCruz, Palmisano, McIntrye and Turgeon all recorded two hits to lead the way for Central Connecticut.

Casey (3-4) struck out five, against just two walks, while allowing five runs on 10 hits.LHP Cody Brown (3-5) suffered the loss, allowing seven runs, five earned, on 10 hits in a complete-game effort.

The teams will resume their series tomorrow with a 1:00 pm doubleheader.

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Photography by Dave Saffran