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Bridgeport, CT – The Wagner baseball team fell to the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, 14-4, in the series finale on Sunday afternoon at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard as the teams split the four-game series.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 25-19-1; 13-7 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while the Pioneers improve to 17-28-1; 10-10 in league action. Wagner now finds itself two games in back of Bryant for the top spot in the league standings after the Bulldogs completed a four-game sweep of Fairleigh Dickinson, winning 11-3 this afternoon.

The NEC race will be determined this weekend when the Seahawks host Bryant in a four-game series at Richmond County Ballpark, beginning with a 3:00 p.m. contest on Thursday, May 14 at 3:00 p.m.

Junior right-hander Mike Adams (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Holy Spirit) took the loss today vs. SHU, falling to 4-3 on the year after tossing six innings, allowing 10 hits and four runs (all earned) while walking one and striking out two. His counterpart, Robbie Maguire, hurled seven innings, allowing six hits, three runs (one earned) while walking four and striking out three en route to his third victory of the year.

Senior 2B Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) and sophomore SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) each had two hits and a RBI on the afternoon. Dini, who became Wagner's all-time hits leader during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, connected on his team-leading fifth home run of the season. 

Sacred Heart took an early 2-0 lead after plating runs in the bottom of the second and third, respectively. Wagner responded with a pair in its half of the fourth as junior LF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) kicked off the inning with a lead-off walk. 

Senior RF Zack Yesko (Mukwonago, WI/Mukwonago) flied out to center field, allowing Ruta to tag up and score the Seahawks' first run. Freshman 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) tied the game at 2-2 after singling through the right side as Dini crossed the plate.

The Pioneers regained the lead, 4-2, in the bottom of the fifth as they pushed across two runs on a sacrifice fly to center off the bat of Victor Sorrento and a RBI ground-out from Shaw. The visitors were able to trim the deficit to back to one, 4-3, as Dini led off the top of the sixth with a towering home run to left field. 

After Wagner squandered a runner in its half of the seventh, Sacred Heart broke the game open the bottom half of the frame, scoring eight runs on seven hits with the big blow in the inning coming from Kenny Byram, who connected on a grand slam over the left field fence. 

The Seahawks managed to score a run in the top of the ninth as Mascelli delivered a single up the middle, scoring freshman Kyle Cala (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial), who came in as a defensive replacement for Yesko in the bottom of the eighth.
 
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