Pictured Above: Senior Trey Nicosia who recorded his 100th career hit this afternoon against Rutgers.

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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner baseball team was blanked in its midweek non-conference contest against the Rutgers University Scarlet Knights 8-0 at home on Wednesday afternoon.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 10-23 overall while the Scarlet Knights improve to 18-19.

Despite the outcome of the today's contest, a pair of milestones were reached as senior Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area) recorded his 100th career hit as a Seahawk while freshman James Wise (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) notched his first collegiate hit.

Junior RHP Danny Marsh (Monroe Township, NJ/Monroe Township) suffered his first loss of the season (0-1) after tossing two innings, allowing three hits, an earned run, two walks, and a strikeout.  A trio of seniors, Paul Mammino (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) Nick DiLeo (Brooklyn, NY/Xavier [St. John's]) and Nathan Hunt (Kirtland, OH/Hawken School), along with freshman Cory Heitler (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn), pitched effectively in relief for Wagner. They combined to throw 3.2 innings of scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and walking just two batters.

Mike Carter paced the Scarlet Knight offense, going 2-for-2 with a run scored and three RBIs in the victory.  Chris Suseck, Tom Marcinczyk and John Jennings each added an RBI while R.J. Devish scored three runs. Serafino Brito pitched six scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, walked two and struck out four batters. James Torress and Colin Bohnert combined to pitch the final three innings with Torres striking out three batters in his two innings of work. 

The Scarlet Knights scored the game's first run on a Marcinczyk RBI single through the right side which scored Carter. In Wagner's half of the frame, the Seahawks threatened. Junior SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) reached on an error by his counterpart. Nicosia placed a well-executed sacrifice bunt which moved Mascelli to second with one out.  

Brito issued a pair of walks to senior RF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) and freshman catcher Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) which loaded the bases. The Seahawks left the runners stranded after a strikeout to sophomore designated hitter Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) and a fly-ball to center from Kyle Cala (Brick, NJ/ Brick Memorial) flew out to center to ended the inning. 

Rutgers went ahead 2-0 in the top of the third as Suseck sent a sacrifice fly to left field of freshman Neil Abbatiello (North Salem, NY/Dobbs Ferry) as Devish tagged up and scored from third. In the bottom of the third with one out, Nicosia recorded the milestone hit off a 0-1 fastball that he laced a single up the middle off Brito. 

The Scarlet Knights tacked on three runs in the top of the fourth off two hits with Carter supplying the big blow with a two-run single through the right side, plating Nick Matera and Milo Freeman. Carter advanced to second on the throw from Ruta that trickled to the backstop, allowing Devish to score, giving the Scarlet Knights a 5-0 advantage.

The final tallies of the ballgame came in the fifth and sixth innings as Rutgers increased its lead to 8-0. Two runs came in the top of the sixth as Carter sent a sacrifice fly to center and Devish came in to score on a steal of third and a throwing error by the Seahawks catcher.

Wise pinch-hit for Capra in the bottom of the sixth and was retired on three pitches. The first-year Seahawk got another at-bat in the bottom of the ninth, however, sending Bohnert's 1-2 pitch into centerfield for the Staten Island native's first career hit. 

The Seahawks will resume Northeast Conference (NEC) play as they welcome the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers for a four-game set beginning on Friday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m.