Pictured Above: Sophomore Sean Mazzio, who went 2-for-4 this afternoon with a game-tying RBI in the bottom of the eighth (Keith Lucas-Sideline Media)

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Staten Island, NY - The Wagner baseball team dropped its Northeast Conference (NEC) series opener at home to the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers 6-5 on Friday afternoon.

With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 10-24 overall and 5-12 in league play while the Mountaineers improve to 7-26; 4-13 in conference tilts.

Senior Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area), along with juniors Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep), Brendan Benecke (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) and sophomore 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]), supplied two hits apiece in today's contest.

Nicosia and Mazzio were two of the four Seahawks to drive in a run in this afternoon's series opener as senior RF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) and sophomore Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) also chipped in an RBI. 

On the mound, senior right-hander Mike Adams (Egg Harbor Township, NJ/Holy Spirit) was in control early in his ninth start of the season. The veteran retired 18 of the first 22 batters he faced, which included three straight strikeouts, bridging the fifth and the sixth innings. Adams hurled seven innings, allowed seven hits, five runs (two earned) while walking two and striking four batters. He threw 97 pitches, 59 for strikes, in earning the no decision. Freshman Cory Heitler (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) came on for Adamn the eighth and suffered his second loss of the season (0-2), allowing two hits and the game-winning run. 

Zach Hostetter and Tommy Quealy each had two hits on the day for the Mount with Quealy scoring twice. Tyler Post drove in two runs while Alex Kriss delivered the game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth to cap off a 1-for-4 afternoon. The Mountaineers' starter, Hunter Shuff, lasted six innings, giving up seven hits and four earned runs while walking two batters in picking up a no decision.  Josh Little threw a scoreless inning of relief before Michael Kuypers came on and threw two innings, allowing one run anwhile recording one strikeout in earning the win.

Over the first four innings of the game, Adams was crisp on the mound while Shuff got out of trouble in each inning, with his only 1-2-3 inning coming in the bottom of the fourth. In the fifth, Adams posted his third 1-2-3 inning of the game, getting a groundout of Chris Wessels while striking out Joshua Lenig and Quealy.  In the bottom half of the frame, the Seahawks broke the ice by erupting for a four-run rally.  Benecke led off with a walk and moved into scoring position on a Mazzio single to right center field, giving the Seahawks runners on the corners with nobody out.  Brey then sent a towering fly ball to center that was caught by Quealy, as Benecke scored on the sacrifice fly.

Facing a 1-2 pitch, Mascelli laced a single through the left side, moving Mazzio up to second before he scored the Seahawks' second run on a Nicosia RBI-single to right field. With Ruta at bat, Nicosia stole second, and he and Mascelli advanced on a balk, which plated Mascelli for Wagner's third run of the frame before Ruta added the fourth on an RBI grounder to second.

Adams, meanwhile, remained sharp on the hill, retiring nine of the next 11 batters he faced, preserving the shutout in the process, as the Seahawks took a 4-0 lead into the eighth.

The Mountaineers then staged a big-five run rally to take a 5-4 lead. With the bases loaded, Vaughn Parker II drew a walk which scored Quealy.  Post delivered a two-run single up the middle, scoring both Kriss and Owens, cutting the deficit to one, 4-3. Adams' final batter, Hostetter, singled to left which prompted head coach Jim Carone to turn to his bullpen. The first batter Heitler saw, Patrick Causa, bounced into a 6-4-3 double play, which advanced Post to third and scored Tanner Sampson, who pinch-ran for Vaughn II. Wessels then sent a jam-shot to second and was able to beat the throw, as Post scored, giving Mount its first lead of the game.

In the bottom of the frame, Benecke sent a two-out double to the deepest part of left field.  Freshman Joe Silvestrone (Manalapan, NJ/Freehold Township) replaced Benecke at second as the tying run. With the count in his favor, Mazzio singled up the middle, bringing Silvestrone around to score, tying the game at 5-5.  

In the ninth, Quealy led off with a double down the left field line and advanced to third on a wild pitch by Heitler.  Owens sent a laser that was destined for a hit, but Brey alertly snagged the ball for the first out. The eventual winning run came in as Kriss sent the first pitch he saw to center for a sac fly as Quealy tagged up and scored.

These teams will return to the diamond in an afternoon doubleheader on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.  The first game, a seven-inning contest, is scheduled to feature senior RHP Nick Pavia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's By The Sea) followed by junior RHP Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ/The Hun School) in the nightcap, which is scheduled for nine innings.

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