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Staten Island, NY - Behind a four-run eighth inning, the Wagner baseball team was able to collect a 7-2 Northeast Conference (NEC) victory over defending Northeast Conference (NEC) champions Sacred Heart in game one of Thursday's doubleheader.

With the win, the Seahawks improve to 15-30 overall and 9-16 in league play while the Pioneers fall to 27-20 and 17-7 in conference tilts. 

Junior RHP Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ/The Hun School) hurled 7.2 innings of five-hit ball, allowing just two earned runs while striking out six en route to earning his team-leading fifth victory of the season (5-4).  Senior RHP reliever, Nathan Hunt (Kirtland, OH/Hawken School) came on to pitch 1.1 scoreless innings to pick up his third save of the season.

At the plate, senior RF Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) finished 4-for-4, with two runs scored and an RBI in the victory.  Fellow senior Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area) and sophomore LF Kyle Cala (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) each had two hits while sophomore 2B Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) drove in two runs in the victory.  

Sacred Heart's James Taubl suffered his first defeat of the season (5-1) after throwing six innings, giving up six hits, three runs (one earned) while walking two and striking out four batters. James Cooksey came on for the final two frames, surrendering five hits and four earned runs in relief of Taubl.  

The Seahawks got on the board first as Ruta sent a single to left field which brought in Nicosia, who had doubled down the left-field line in the previous at-bat.

Goeke kept the Pioneers' bats quiet over the first 3.1 innings before giving up a single to Jayson Sullivan.  After Sullivan stole second and advanced to third on a groundout, Goeke was able to get Dan Schock looking at strike three over the inside corner.

SHU rallied in the top half of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1. Back-to-back singles from P.J. DeFilippo and Cody Doyle, the Pioneers left fielder, Alex Perry, lofted a sacrifice fly to left field, allowing DeFilippo to tag up from third and score. 

Goeke set down the defending league champions for the third time in the contest in the top half of the sixth, setting up another pivotal inning for the home nine.

In the bottom of the six, Ruta led off the stanza with an infield single to third. Freshman designated hitter Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) reached on an error by the Pioneers' shortstop, allowing Ruta to advance to third with no one out.  Cala took a 0-2 pitch to center, scoring Ruta and moving Capra to second. Junior catcher Brendan Benecke (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty) was hit by a pitch that loaded the bases for the Seahawks.

Sophomore 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) grounded into a 5-4-3 double play, which allowed Capra to score giving Wagner a 3-1 lead. 

The Pioneers cut the deficit to one, 3-2, in the eighth.  With two out, Jesus Medina singled to left center field, scoring Perry from second. The Green & White went to the bullpen in the form of Hunt, who closed the door on the threat by getting Sullivan to fly out to Cala in left. 

In Wagner's half of the eighth, the Seahawks erupted for four runs on five hits in extending their lead to 7-2. Benecke laced a single to left field which brought home Ruta. Mazzio followed with a single and advanced to second on the throw, allowing Cala to cross the plate for the second run of the inning.  

On the first pitch that Brey saw, the Garden State native muscled a two-run single, bringing home both Mazzio and Benecke as Wagner increased its lead to five. 

In the ninth, Hunt struck out Victor Sorrento on three pitches and got a pair of fly-outs, ending the Pioneers four-game NEC win streak.

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