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Bridgeport, CT – An eighth-inning sacrifice fly by senior Nick Dini (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) proved to be the difference as the Wagner baseball team salvaged a split of Saturday's Northeast Conference (NEC) doubleheader, as the Seahawks defeated Sacred Heart 4-3.

With the win, Wagner improves to 25-18-1; 13-6 in conference play while the Pioneers fall to 15-28-1 and 9-9 in league action.

Senior closer Steven Bloodworth (Annandale, NJ/North Hunterdon) earned his third victory of the season after tossing 2.2 innings of two-hit baseball in relief of starter Max Schmardel (Eatontown, NJ/Monmouth Regional) who hurled 5.1 innings of four-hit ball.

Junior LF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) and freshman DH Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) each went 3-for-4 in the nightcap of the twinbill, with an RBI each, while Dini added two more RBIs to his total. 

After a scoreless first inning, Sacred Heart scored the game's first run in the bottom of the second as Dan Schock doubled down the left field line, bringing in Ted Shaw from third to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.

Wagner answered with two runs in the top of the third. Senior 2B Dan Wasilick (Toms River, NJ/Toms River East) drew a walk and advanced to second on a perfectly-placed sacrifice bunt off the bat of senior CF Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area). Sophomore SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) added a single through the left side which put runners on the corners with one-man out.

The next batter, Ruta, found space through the right side for a single that scored Wasilick from third to tie the game at 1-1. Dini reached on a fielder's choice which plated the second run for the visitors, giving the Seahawks a 2-1 lead.

Since giving up the early run in the second, Schmardel settled in and was spot-on, allowing just one hit over the next three innings, which featured two strikeouts, three groundouts, and three fly-ball putouts.

In the top of the sixth, Godino added an insurance run that made it 3-1 on an RBI single to left field which scored Dini, who reached base via an error by the Pioneers' shortstop, Zack Short. 

In the bottom half of the frame, senior closer Steven Bloodworth (Annandale, NJ/North Hunterdon) came on in relief of Schmardel, and yielded an RBI single to Shaw, followed by an RBI groundout from pinch-hitter PJ DeFilippo that tied the game at 3-3.

Nicosia then turned in a defensive gem in center, racing in to make a game-saving diving catch for the final out. 
 
After both teams were unsuccessful in their halves of the seventh, Mascelli kicked off the top of the eighth with a check-swing single to right field.  Ruta then rocketed a single up the middle to give the Seahawks runners on the corners as Mascelli hurried to third.

Dini then sent a line drive to right that was squeezed by the Pioneers' right fielder as Mascelli tagged up and scored the go-ahead run.

In the bottom half of the stanza, Sorrento sent a laser to left field but Ruta was able to track the ball at the warning track to record the first out of the inning.  Bloodworth was able to seal the victory by retiring the next two Pioneers as Wagner earned a split in the doubleheader.

The series concludes on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 pm from the Ballpark at Harbor Yard.

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