Pictured Above: John Lynn (by Dave Saffran)

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Richmond, VA – Junior right-hander Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ / The Hun School) tossed 5.2 innings of one-run ball and the Wagner baseball team held a 2-1 lead at Atlantic 10 member VCU before the Rams plated two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning and held on for a 3-2 win this afternoon at The Diamond this afternoon.
 
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 3-5 on the season while the Rams improve to 7-5.
 
VCU took a 1-0 lead in the first inning and this is the way the score remained until the top of the sixth when Wagner put together a two-run rally in taking a 2-1 lead. Senior centerfielder Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area) led off the inning with a single.  Freshman 1b Anthony Harrold (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic)  worked out a one-out walk to put runners on first and second before sophomore left fielder Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville)  flied out to right, advancing both runners.
 
The Seahawks then followed with consecutive RBI singles by c/1b Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) and senior DH John Lynn (Wallingford, PA/Salesianum School). Capra's base hit down the right field line scored Nicosia, tying the game at 1-1, while moving Harrold to third. Lynn then delivered his single up the middle, driving in Harrold with the go-ahead run.
 
In the bottom of the seventh, the Rams struck for their two-run rally. After getting DH James Bunn on a fly out to center, senior lefty Paul Mammino (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) hit 2B Dane Berezo with a pitch. The next batter, catcher Nick Rabat, then slammed a two-run home run to left field and that was all the offense the Rams would need as their relief pitching took over from there.
 
During his sharp 5.2-inning stint, Goeke allowed just two hits while striking out eight and walking four. Mammino, who pitched one inning, absorbed the loss. Seahawk head coach Jim Carone turned to senior righty Nick Pavia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph By the Sea) to get one out in the seventh inning before freshman righty Cory Heitler (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lwn) came on to pitch a scoreless ninth.
 
Sean Thompson scattered five hits over six innings while allowing just the two runs for VCU. Jack Alkire worked a scoreless sixth in recording the victory while Sam Donko continued to keep Wagner's hitters at bay, tossing two innings of shutout relief in notching his third save of the season.
 
Capra was the lone Seahawk to produce a multi-hit game at the plate, going 2-for-4 while Nicosia, Lynn and sophomore third baseman Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School) contributed one hit apiece.
 
These teams are back at it on Saturday, March 12 at 2:00 p.m. in the middle game of the two-game set.
 
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