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Farmville, VA – The Wagner baseball team muscled 15 hits en route to picking up its first win of the 2016 season, defeating the Longwood Lancers, 6-4, in the series finale on Sunday afternoon from Buddy Bolding Stadium.
 
With the victory, Wagner goes to 1-2 on the season while the Lancers drop to 2-4. Freshman right-hander Douglas Molnar (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) earned his first collegiate victory in relief of starting pitcher, senior left-hander Matt Morris (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney). Morris went tossed three innings, allowing three hits, two runs (earned), while walking three and striking out two batters. Molnar also hurled three innings, giving up two runs (one earned) while walking a batter.
 
Freshman lefty Neil Abbatiello (North Salem, NY/Dobbs Ferry) came on in relief of Molnar, pitching to the tune of two innings, allowing one hit, walking two and striking out two.  Senior righty Nick Pavia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph By The Sea) earned his second career save and first of the season, in pitching a scoreless ninth, striking out a batter and not allowing a hit.
 
Junior SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) had a tremendous day at the plate, finishing 4-for-5 with 2 RBIs and a run scored.  Sophomore LF Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) went 3-for-5 also with a run scored. Senior CF Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area), LF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) and sophomore 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) each added two hits a piece with Ruta and Mazzio adding an RBI.
 
After setting down the Seahawks in the top of the first, the Lancers scored the game's first two runs. Morris was able to retire the first two batters before issuing a walk to Michael Osinski. A single off the bat of Alex Lewis to right center advance Osinski to third. After Lewis had stolen second, Connar Bastaich doubled down the left field, scoring both Lewis and Osinski.
 
Wagner answered back in the top of the second as Godino singled to left. With one out and a steal of second by last year's Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, junior backstop Brendan Benecke singled scoring Godino for the Seahawks first run of the game.  With two outs, Mazzio stepped to the plate and laced a single to left field which plated Benecke to tie the game at two.  A walk to sophomore 2B Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South), Mascelli recorded his first RBI of the game on a single to center, scoring Mazzio before Nicosia grounded out to short which ended the threat.
 
The Green & White added a run in the top of the fifth, giving the visitors a 4-2 advantage as Ruta singled down the left-field line, which scored Mascelli from second.  Following a scoreless sixth, the Seahawks took a 5-2 lead after Ruta crossed the plate on a groundout from freshman DH Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem).
 
In the bottom half of the frame, the Lancers trimmed the deficit to just one, with a two-run seventh inning.  A Brandon Harvell single, followed by a C.J. Roth double to left center, had the Lancers with runners on second and third with no one out.  Abbatiello was brought in and issued a walk to the first batter he saw in Sammy Miller.
 
Colton Konvicka reached on a fielder's choice, with Miller advancing to second and Roth to third, but a great defensive play by senior 1B John Lynn (Wallingford, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) fired the throw to Benecke, who applied the tag on Harvell. An RBI grounder from Osinski plated Roth, and the Lancers got its second run on a passed ball.

Wagner added an insurance tally in the top of the eighth which helped sealed the victory as Mascelli connected on his fourth hit of the game which drove in Lynn, who was hit by a pitch to opening the inning. Pavia came on in the bottom of the ninth, striking out Konvicka while getting Osinski to fly out to Nicosia and getting Hayes Nelson to ground out to Mazzio for the Seahawks' first win of the season.
 
Wagner continues its tour of Virginia as they gear up for three-games against the Norfolk State University Spartans on March 5-6. On March 5, the Seahawks and Spartans will play two, beginning at one followed by the series finale on the sixth with first-pitch set for 12:00 pm.

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