Picture Above:  Sophomore 2B Kyle Brey delivered a big, two-run double in the sixth while freshman reliever Neil Abbatiello earned his first career save.

Box Score (PDF) | Box Score (HTML)

Link to Northeast Conference Standings

Staten Island, NY - The Wagner baseball team kept its Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament chances alive in dramatic fashion as the Seahawks completed a  four-game sweep of the defending league champions, Sacred Heart, with a 6-4 win in the nightcap of Saturday's doubleheader.

The victory gave Wagner its second four-game conference series sweep of the season as the Green & White improve to 18-30 and 12-16 in league play while the Pioneers have now lost four straight, falling to 27-23 and 17-10 in conference action. 

Senior outfielders Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area) and Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South), along with junior catcher Brendan Benecke (Jackson, NJ/Jackson Liberty), each had two hits in the contest. Sophomore 2B Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) delivered one of the biggest hits, a game-tying two-run double in the bottom of the sixth inning.

Freshman Cory Heitler (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) earned the win (1-2) while classmate LHP Neil Abbatiello (North Salem, NY/Dobbs Ferry) picked up his first career save, striking out Victor Sorrento with the bases loaded to end the contest.

Wagner senior starter Nick Pavia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's By The Sea) pitched in the final home game of his career, tossing 5.0 innings of three-hit ball, giving up just three earned runs while striking out four batters.  Fellow senior Nick DiLeo (Brooklyn, NY/Xavier [St. John's]) pitched two innings of relief, giving up two hits and one earned run while striking out two batters, before giving way to Heitler.

Alex Perry led the Sacred Heart offense with two hits. Jason Foley suffered his third loss of the season after allowing two earned runs and issuing three walks in his lone inning of work.  SHU starter John Sostarich worked 5.2 innings, yielding seven hits, three earned runs while walking three and striking out four in taking a no-decision. 

Both Pavia and Sostarich were pitted in a pitchers' duel over the first three innings of the contest as Pavia didn't allow a hit until the fourth when Sacred Heart opened the scoring.

After Jayson Sullivan walked, Victor Sorrento doubled for SHU's first hit and advanced to third on a throwing error by Wagner's left fielder as Sullivan score the game's first run.  Zack Short plated home the Pioneers second on an RBI sac-fly to centerfield. The visitors tacked on one more in the top of the fifth thanks to an RBI single from Jesus Medina. 

Wagner responded in its half of the fifth, cutting the deficit to two, 3-1. Following a Nicosia double down the left field line, Ruta laced a single to center scoring Nicosia.  After DiLeo was able to retire the Pioneers in the top half of the sixth with two strikeouts and a fly-out, Wagner went back to work in the bottom of the frame.

Benecke sent a one-out single to center. Sophomore 3B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) walked. A strike out to senior 1B John Lynn (Wallingford, PA/Salesianum School [DE]), gave Brey a chance with two outs. 

The left-handed hitting, Garden State native fought back into the at-bat and smashed a game-tying, two-run double to right field, scoring both Mazzio and Benecke, to even the game at 3-3. 

SHU's Ted Shaw put the Pioneers ahead with an RBI single to centerfield, bringing Jake Friar home to take a 4-3 lead. Wagner came back again to knot the game at 4-4 as freshman designated hitter Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) scored on a Baylor Sundahl wild pitch. 

The Pioneers had an opportunity to retake the led in the top of the eighth. With two outs and runners on second and third, P.J. DeFilippo lined out to Mazzio at third, who alertly doubled off Sorrento to end the SHU threat.

The Seahawks took its first and only lead of the game in the bottom of the stanza. Capra sent Foley's 1-1 pitch to right field, driving in the go-ahead run in junior SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) to make the score 5-4. Benecke added the insurance run with a sacrifice fly, scoring Ruta and giving the Green & White a 6-4 lead.

The Pioneers threaten in the top of the ninth, however. Perry singled to right followed by a walk to Shaw. After Medina couldn't advance the runners, Sullivan drew a four-pitch walk, which ended Heitler's day. 

With storm clouds rolling in,  and the wind picking up, Abbatiello was able to strike out Sorrento on three pitches to end the game and give the Seahawks the sweep, their second four-game sweep of the season (the first since defeating Mount St. Mary's in Emmitsburg, MD March 24-26).

Wagner will close out the 2016 regular season on the road when the Seahawks take on the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils in a pivotal four-game series that will likely determine if the Seahawks qualify for the upcoming NEC Tournament. 

Follow Wagner Athletics on Facebook (facebook.com/WagnerAthletics), Twitter (@wagnerathletics), Instagram (@wagnerathletics) and YouTube (@WagnerSeahawks) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department. Follow Wagner Baseball on Twitter (@WagBaseball) for news and information about the team.