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Pictured Above: Senior Dan Wasilick & Freshman Sean Mazzio 

Bridgeport, CT –  The Wagner baseball team rode the right arm of sophomore Nolan Long (Waterford, CT/Waterford [South Kent Prep]), who tossed seven innings of three-hit ball, and pushed across four runs in the fifth inning, en route to securing a 5-1 victory over Sacred Heart in the series opener in the series opener on Friday evening.

With the victory, the Seahawks improve to 12-5 and remain in a first-place tie in the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings with Bryant, who defeated Fairleigh Dickinson 8-7 today on an improbable ninth-inning rally.

Wagner is now 24-17-1 overall on the season while the Pioneers fall to 15-27-1, 8-9 in league play.

In picking up his fourth straight victory to improve to 4-1 on the season, the hard-throwing, 6'10" Long struck out seven while allowing just one run and a walk before giving way to senior Anthony Battaglia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph By The Sea) who came on in relief to pitch two scoreless innings.

Eight of the nine Seahawk starters recorded at least one base hit, led by freshman 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]), who went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Senior 2B Dan Wasilick (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East), senior CF Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area), sophomore SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) and senior C Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) also added RBIs in the victory.
 
Sacred Heart jumped out to a 1-0 lead in first inning as Jayson Sullivan singled up the middle, stole second, and came around to score on a Victor Sorrento double to left.  James Cooksey, who gained the start in the mound for the Pioneers, held the Seahawks' bats at bay over the first four linings before Wagner erupted in the top of the fifth. Senior 1B Tommy Mazurkiewicz (Neshanic Station, NJ/Somerville)  singled to center field to end Cooksey's no-hit bid.  On the next at-bat, freshman DH Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) was plunked by an errant Cooksey pitch to give the Seahawks runners on first and second with nobody out. 
 
Senior right fielder Zack Yesko (Mukwonago, WI/Mukwonago) then laid a sacrifice bunt down the third baseline, advancing Mazurkiewicz to third and Godino to second. Mazzio evened the score at 1-1 with a single through the left side before Wasilick followed with an RBI single to right which put the Seahawks on top 2-1.
 
Nicosia made it a 3-1 game on a sacrifice fly to left field. Mascelli plated the fourth run of the frame as he doubled to center field, scoring Wasilick.
 
Dini added an RBI double in the top of the seventh to give Wagner a 5-1 advantage. For Dini, it was his 234th career hit, leaving him one short of tying the all-time record held by former Damian Csakai (2007-2010), who recorded 235 hits over his four-year career.
 
After allowing a first-inning run, Long yielded just one hit over six scoreless innings before handing the over to Battaglia who closed the door with two innings of solid relief.
These two teams will resume action tomorrow in an afternoon doubleheader beginning at 1:00 pm.  

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