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Brooklyn, NY - Kevin Needham's walk-off grand slam lifted LIU Brooklyn to a 7-3 win over Wagner in the first game of a doubleheader at the LIU Field.

With the victory, the Blackbirds improve to 13-10-1 and 1-1 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Seahawks fall to 4-18 and 1-1 in the league.

Junior LHP Matt Morris (Matawan, NJ / St. John Vianney) left with the lead but earned a no-decision, yielding three runs over 6.2 innings of work.

Wagner threatened in the top of the first inning as freshman Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ / Seton Hall Prep) led off with a single before moving to second on senior Chris Smith's (Tampa, FL / Ellsworth CC (IA)) bunt single. However the pair would be left stranded as Brian Drapeau struck out the next batter before inducing a pair of fly outs to end the threat.

LIU Brooklyn struck first for the second-straight game with a run in the bottom half of the inning. Pete Leonello led off with a single before moving to second on John McAllister's sacrifice bunt. John Ziznewski then plated Leonello with a single through the left side.

From that point on both pitchers were in complete control over the next three innings as Drapeau yielded just one hit while Morris allowed just two base runners.

The Seahawks finally broke through in the top of the fifth inning while tying the game up at 1-1. Junior Tommy Mazurkiewicz (Neshanic Station, NJ / Somerville) was plunked leading off the frame. He then moved to second on Brendan Benecke's (Fr., Jackson, NJ / Jackson Liberty) sacrifice bunt before junior Zack Yesko (Mukwonago, WI / Mukwonago) plated Mazurkiewicz with a RBI single up the middle.

Wagner then broke the deadlock in the next inning as junior Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ / Monroe Township) led off with a double through the left side. He then moved to third on senior Shaun Flynn's (Tabernacle, NJ / Burlington CC) sacrifice bunt before scoring on a wild pitch.

The lead would be short-lived as Ziznewski hit a leadoff home run to right field to tie the game up at 2-2. However, the damage could have been worse as the Blackbirds had runners on second-and-third with no outs. Morris got Needham to pop up for the first out before sophomore John Lynn (Wallingford, PA / Salesianum School (DE)) got the lead runner at the plate on a fielder's choice grounder for the second out. Morris then recorded the final out of the frame by inducing an inning-ending fielder's choice grounder.

In the top of the seventh inning, the Seahawks again reclaimed when Smith plated pinch runner Dan Wasilick (Jr., Toms River, NJ / Toms River South) with a RBI single to left field.

Unfortunately, for the second straight inning the lead wouldn't hold as LIU Brooklyn tied the game up at 3-3 on Mark Hernandez's two-out, RBI single through the right side. The Blackbirds would then go on to complete the game-winning comeback on Needham's aforementioned grand slam.

Smith led a seven-hit Green & White attack, going 3-for-4 with a RBI while Mazurkiewicz also reached base safely three times, finishing up 1-for-1 with a double and a run while being plunked twice.

Ziznewski paced the Blackbirds, finishing up 2-for-3 with a home run and two runs.

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