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Pictured Above: Max Schmardel (Photo by Hilton Flores, Staten Island Advance)

Staten Island Advance Recap (Jim Waggoner) 

Staten Island, NY - Senior right-hander Max Schmardel (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional) allowed just one run over five innings with five strikeouts but only managed five base hits in dropping a 6-1 decision to Seton Hall, of the Big East, at Richmond County Bank Ballpark today.

After picking up a 11-4, come-from-behind victory against Big 10 member, Rutgers Tuesday, the Seahawks fall to 9-11-1 on the season while the Pirates, winners of nine straight, improve to 16-10.

For Schmardel, the five strikeouts match his career best as the Garden State native recorded five punch-outs at the University of Hawaii back on February 23, 2012 in a 9-2 defeat. His counterpart, left-hander Anthony Pacillo, allowed just two hits over five scoreless innings while striking out six Seahawks in posting the win for Seton Hall.

Both starting pitchers turned in superb efforts over the first four innings before Seton Hall used a two-out, fifth-inning rally to break the scoreless tie. With the bases empty, the Pirates strung together three successive singles, the last off the bat of CF Derek Jenkins drove in RF Ryan Ramiz to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.

The Pirates' offense put three more runs on the board in the top of the sixth inning.  First baseman Sal Annunziata led off the frame with a single and moved into scoring position on a single from DH Tyler Boyd before 3B Joe Poduslenko moved both runners over with a sacrifice bunt.  Facing a full count, 2B Chris Chiaradio singled to left field for the second Seton Hall run. 

After a failed pickoff attempt from Wagner's catcher Jason Gordon (Baltimore, MD/ Archbishop Curley) sailed into right field, Boyd came around to score the third Pirate run of the inning, which was followed by a two-out RBI single by LF Zack Weigel that extended Seton Hall's lead to 4-0.

A second Seahawk miscue led to two more runs in the top of the seventh as The Hall increased its lead to 6-0. In the bottom half of the inning, Wagner was able to create some momentum. With one out, freshman LF Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) singled up the middle. Reserve backstop John Lynn (Wallingford, PA/Salesianum School [DE]), pinch-hitting for sophomore Brendan Benecke (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty), worked out a five-pitch walk to put runners on first and second. After Godino moved up ninety feet on a passed ball, freshman 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/ Salesianum School [DE]) walked to load the bases.
 
The Pirates then called on right-hander Chris Morris, the younger brother of Seahawk fifth-year senior Matt Morris (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney). The younger Morris was able to force Gordon to bounce into an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to stifle the Seahawk threat.

The Seahawks pushed across their lone run of the contest in the eighth when junior RF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) lofted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring CF Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area). Nicosia and Godino finished the game with two hits apiece, accounting for four of the Seahawks' base five hits.

Wagner will resume Northeast Conference (NEC) play this weekend when the Seahawks travel to Hackensack, NJ to tangle with the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights in a four-game set.  The series opener is scheduled for Friday, April 10 as sophomore RHP Nolan Long (Waterford, CT/Waterford [South Kent Prep]) is scheduled to take the hill in the opener. 
 
The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday, April 11, both consisting of seven innings, before the series concludes on Sunday, April 12 with a nine-inning affair.
 
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