Farmville, VA- The Wagner baseball team dropped its season opener on Friday, 6-0, to Longwood University at Buddy Bolding Stadium. In the first-ever meeting between the schools as Wagner falls to 0-1 on the year while the Lancers picked up their first victory of the season and stand at 1-3.
Senior right-hander
Mike Adams (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Holy Spirit) suffered his first loss of the young 2016 season after tossing 5.1 innings, giving up six hits, three runs (all earned) while walking two and fanning a career-best seven batters. At the plate, the Green & White were paced by junior SS
Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) and freshman backstop
Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem), who each went 2-for-4 on the day.
Sophomore LF
Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville), who garnered 2015 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American accolades, went 1-for-4 on the afternoon as did senior first baseman
John Lynn (Wallingford, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) and sophomore third baseman,
Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]).
Both teams were held scoreless through five innings before the Lancers struck for the first run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth. Adams was able to get Colton Konvicka to fly out to senior right fielder
Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) to start the bottom of the frame. The next man up, Michael Osinski singled to left followed by a double to left-center off the bat of Alex Lewis. Connar Bastaich was hit by a pitch loading the bases for Longwood's Drew Kitson.
Kitson broke the tie with a single that plated both Lewis and Osinski, giving the home team a 2-0 lead. Fifth-year head coach
Jim Carone, the 2015 NEC Coach of the Year, then summoned to the bullpen in the form of senior left-hander,
Paul Mammino (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough). Mammino's pitch caught Mac McCafferty, loading the bases once again. Brandon Harvell took Mammino's pitch deep to right field, plating across the third run of the inning before Mammino was able to settle in and get Hayes Nelson to popup to Mascelli at short ending the threat.
Wagner's best chance came in the top of the seventh as Lynn doubled to left field. Wager regained his focus and induced a groundout off the bat of freshman
Will Johnson (Toms River, NJ/Toms River High School East). Wager and Longwood escaped the inning with a pair of strikeouts to Mazzio and junior
Brendan Benecke (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty), who pinch-hit for sophomore second baseman,
Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South).
The Lancers added a run in the bottom of the seventh as Lewis doubled to left center, scoring Osinski and in the eighth, plated two more as Nelson doubled in Brandon Harvell for the fifth Lancers tally. Sammy Miller drove in Nelson with a single to preserve the shutout for Longwood.
These two squads will be in action on Saturday, February 27 as junior right-hander
Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ/The Hun School) is scheduled to make his season debut against fellow righty Luke Simpson. First pitch is set for 2:00 p.m.
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