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Smithfield, RI - The Wagner baseball team dropped its Northeast Conference (NEC) series finale at first-place Bryant 5-1 on Sunday afternoon at Conaty Park. 

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 10-22, 5-11 in league play while the Bulldogs improves to 24-7 overall and 13-1 in conference action.

Sophomore 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) went 2-for-4 on the afternoon.  Senior RF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) went 1-for-4 today while connecting on his first home run of the season. 

Junior SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep), sophomore 2B Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) and freshman 1B Anthony Harrold (Woodbury, NJ/Gloucester Catholic) each added a hit on the afternoon.  

Senior left-hander starter Matt Morris (Matawan, NJ/St. John Vianney) pitched well in his seven innings of work, allowing just two runs on six hits and while striking out four despite taking the loss (2-4). 

Bryant's Nick Angelini and Matt Albanese each picked up two hits on the afternoon while Dan Cellucci drove in two pivotal runs in the bottom of the eight in leading the Bulldogs to victory.  Bulldogs' starter Steve Theetge went six innings, surrendering three hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out a batter before giving way to the bullpen.  

Michael Marshall came on to toss two scoreless innings, striking out four, walking one and allowing a hit, in picking up the win.  Logan Lessard then pitched a scoreless ninth despite giving up two base hits.  

Bryant scored the game's first run in the bottom of the first as Nick Angelini sent Morris' payoff pitch to left center field, scoring Cole Fabio, who led off the frame with a single to right.  

After both pitchers had tossed identical scoreless second and third innings, Wagner tied the game at 1-1 in the top of the fourth. With the count in his favor at 1-0, Ruta smashed a towering home run over the right-field wall for his first round-tripper of the season and fourth of his career. 

Wagner's best chance to break the stalemate came in the top of the seventh. After the first two batters of the frame had been set down, Brey singled through the right side and moved to second on a walk to Mascelli.  Senior CF Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area) was hit by an errant pitch from Marshall, loading the bases for Wagner.  The Bulldogs eluded the potential big inning as Marshall got Ruta to pop-up to the second baseman, ending the inning.

In the bottom half of the frame, Zach Wood walked and advanced to second when Cellucci grounded out to Mazzio at third. Bryant's head coach Steve Owens then sent up pinch-hitter Daniel Palazzo to bat for Malik Daley.  Palazzo singled through the left side and advanced to second on the throw home as Wood scored the go-ahead run, giving the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. Morris was able to settle down and limit the damage to just the one run after getting Fabio to fly out to right and Angelini to ground out to third. 

After a scoreless top of the eighth, the Bulldogs scored three times in the bottom of the inning, claiming a 5-1 lead. Freshman reliever Cory Heitler (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) came on for Morris to start the eighth. A walk to Robby Rinn followed by a double down the left field line to Albanese gave the home team runners on second and third with nobody out.

Head coach Jim Carone then elected to bring in his third pitcher of the afternoon, senior right-hander Nathan Hunt (Kirtland, OH/Hawken School). Hunt loaded the bases when his pitch clipped Buck McCarthy.  Brandon Bingel sent a grounder to short which Mascelli gloved and fired home to junior catcher Brendan Benecke (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) for the force out, keeping it a one-run game.  With Wood at-bat, a wild pitch increased the Bulldogs; lead to 3-1 before Cellucci singled down the right field line, scoring both Bingel and McCarthy to give the home team a 5-1 lead.  

In the final inning, with one out, Mazzio laced a single through the left side, and Carone inserted freshman Anthony Pecora (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) to pinch-hit for Brey. After Pecora went down on strikes, Mascelli singled down the right field line, giving Wagner runners at first and second with two outs. Nicosia was at the dish against Bryant's Logan Lessard. With the count showing 3-2, Nicosia sent a frozen rope to the right side that was snagged by Bryant's first baseman, Rinn, ending the contest. 

Wagner begins a season-high 10-game homestand, starting on Wednesday, April 20 when the Seahawks welcomes the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights from the Big 10 Conference.. First pitch from Richmond County Bank Ballpark is set for 3:00 p.m.  

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