Game One Box Score / PDF
Game Two Box Score / PDF

Brooklyn, NY - LIU Brooklyn rode a pair of impressive pitching performances to a doubleheader sweep of Wagner in Northeast Conference (NEC) action at the LIU Field. The Blackbirds won game one 10-5 and game two 13-2 to improve to 19-30 and 15-13 in the league while the Seahawks fall to 24-27 and 16-12 in the NEC.

Game One
Jesse Brown homered and drove in seven to lead LIU Brooklyn to a 10-5 win over Wagner in the opener.

Sophomore Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ / Monroe Township) led the way in defeat, belting a pair of solo home runs while becoming the first Seahawk to hit at least two in a game since NEC home run king Vin Avella blasted three against Coppin State on March 18, 2009.

Brown opened the scoring with a three-run homer in the bottom of the first, before adding a three-run double in the third inning.

Dini then hit the first of his two home runs in the top of the fourth, only to see the Blackbirds respond with a run in the bottom part of the frame.

In the top of the fifth, senior Jayson Keel (Starkville, MS / Starkville / Holmes CC) plated freshman Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ / West-Windsor Plainsboro South) with two-out RBI double while trimming the deficit to 7-2.

After LIU Brooklyn again answered, Dini belted his second home run of the game and his fourth of the season in the top of the sixth to make it an 8-3 game.

The Blackbirds would tack on two more runs in the bottom half of the inning, before the Seahawks scored two runs in the top of the seventh to provide the final 10-5 tally.

Joining Dini with multiple-hits was Keel, who finished up 2-for-3 with two RBI and a double.

Freshman RHP Mike Adams (Egg Harbor Township, NJ / Holy Spirit) was saddled with the loss, allowing eight runs, seven earned, with two strikeouts over 4.1 innings of work.

Brown finished up 3-for-4 with seven RBI while falling a triple short of the cycle.

RHP Kevin Needham (3-2) earned the win, striking out seven while not walking a batter in a complete game 7.0-inning effort.

Game Two
Righty Evan Zerff limited Wagner to just two runs over 7.1 innings of work to lead LIU Brooklyn to a 13-2 victory in the series finale while giving the Blackbirds the series victory..

The top third of the LIU Brooklyn order went 7-for-12 with eight RBI, six runs and three walks while setting the table for an offensive effort that yielded 13 runs and 16 hits.

Dini's RBI double and graduate student Chase Gray's (Toms River, NJ / Toms River South / Seton Hall) RBI single yielded the lone Seahawk runs in the game.

Freshman LHP Paul Mammino (Hillsborough, NJ / Hillsborough) struck out two over 5.1 innings in falling to 6-1 .

Staten Island native John Ziznewski went 2-for-5 with a grand slam to pace the Blackbird attack. Zerff (2-1) earned the win, striking out three while yielding just one earned run on five hits in his 7.1 innings of work.

Wagner will welcome NEC leader Bryant to Richmond County Bank Ballpark for a crucial series beginning on Thursday, May 16 at 3:00 pm.

Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@wagnerathletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @WagBaseball for news and updates on the baseball program.

Photography by Dave Saffran