Pictured Above: Senior 1B John Lynn, who doubled in the game-tying run for Wagner in the top of the ninth (Dave Saffran)

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New Britain, CT- The Wagner baseball team rallied to tie the game in the top of the ninth, forcing extra innings Saturday afternoon at the CCSU Baseball Field, but a walk-off, two-run home run in the bottom of the 12th gave the Blue Devils the 6-4 win in the Northeast Conference (NEC) regular season finale. 

Wagner concludes the year with a 19-33 overall record and 13-19 in league play while CCSU improves to 23-32 and 15-17 in league play.  They will await the outcome of the LIU Brooklyn/Sacred Heart series to see if they earned the No. 4 seed in the upcoming Northeast Conference (NEC) tournament. 

Senior RHP Nick Pavia (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph By The Sea) tossed six innings in his final appearance in a Wagner uniform. The veteran right-hander gave up four earned runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out a batter in taking the no-decision.  

Senior LHP Paul Mammino (Hillsborough, NJ/Hillsborough) tossed a scoreless inning in relief of Pavia while fellow lefty, Nick DiLeo (Brooklyn, NY/Xavier [St. John's]) hurled two scoreless innings, giving up one hit in his outing.

Freshman LHP Neil Abbatiello (North Salem, NY/Dobbs Ferry) took the loss (2-5) despite throwing 2.1 innings, giving up one hit, walking three and striking out three. The winning run was on second when classmate Cory Heitler (Fair Lawn, NJ/Fair Lawn) gave up the walk-off two-run homer to Matt Martinez in the bottom of the 12th. 

At the plate, senior outfielders Trey Nicosia (State College, PA/State College Area), Ben Ruta (West Windsor, NJ/West-Windsor Plainsboro South) along with sophomore 2B Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) each had two hits. Ruta moved into 13th place all-time on Wagner's career hit list, securing his 172nd hit this afternoon. 

Senior 1B John Lynn (Wallingford, PA/Salesianum School [DE]) went 1-for-5 and drove in the tying run for the Green & White in the top of the ninth.  Junior SS Nick Mascelli (Clifton, NJ/Seton Hall Prep), Nicosia, and freshman 3B Will Johnson (Toms River, NJ/Toms River High School East) also produced an RBI for the Seahawks. 

Martinez led the way for the Blue Devils offense in the regular season finale, as he drove in five of the six RBIs on a pair of two-run homers, which included the game-winner in the bottom of the 12th. 

Casey Brown went all 12 innings for the home team, giving up four earned runs, 11 hits, one walk and striking out nine batters for his fourth win of the season (4-7).  

Central Connecticut opened the scoring in its half of the first. Franklin Jennings led off with a double down the left field line. With one-out, Corey Lerche sent beat out a bunt single to first which allowed Jennings to cross the plate for the first run.

After the Seahawks had gone down in order in the top half of the second, the Blue Devils went ahead 3-0 as Martinez took Pavia's first pitch over the left field wall.  

Wagner got its first run in the top of the fifth. Sophomore LF Kyle Cala (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) led off with a double to left field and advanced to third on a wild pitch.  With one-out, Johnson sent a hard-hit grounder to short as Cala crossed the plate, trimming CCSU's lead to 3-1. 

The Blue Devils went back up by three, 4-1, in the bottom of the sixth as Martinez drove in his third RBI of the contest, sending a sacrifice fly to left field as Mitch Guilmette tagged from third to score.

Following a scoreless seventh inning, the Green & White continued its comeback attempt, trimming the lead to just one, 4-3 in the top of the eight. After a walk to Mazzio, freshman catcher James Wise (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville) singled to center, as Wagner had runners on the corners with just one out.  

On a 0-1 pitch, Mascelli singled through the right side, moving Wise to third and scoring Mazzio as Wagner trailed 4-2. The next batter, Nicosia, followed with an RBI single to center that scored Wise, cutting the deficit to one at 4-3. 

In the CCSU eighth, DiLeo came on for Mammino. After hitting Guilmette with a pitch, Tyler Coleman beat out a bunt down the first base line. John Lippincott reached on a fielder's choice bunt as Guilmette was forced out at second. DiLeo was able to get the inning-ending 1-5-3 double play. 

Trailing in the ninth, Wagner knotted the ballgame at 4-4.  Freshman designated hitter Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem) reached first after being hit by a 0-2 pitch. Capra moved to second on a sac-bunt from Cala.  Freshman Anthony Pecora (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) came in to run for Capra as Lynn tied the game on a double down the left field line. 

Both teams had chances in the extra frames. In the top of the tenth, Nicosia laced a two-out single back up the middle. Ruta added a single through the left side, giving the Seahawks runners on first and second but were stranded as Pecora flew out to center ending the stanza.

In the bottom of the frame, Abbatiello came on for DiLeo after he walked pinch-hitter, Andrew Hickley.  The first batter Abbatiello faced, Coleman, moved Chandler Debrosse to second on a sacrifice bunt. The first-year Seahawk lefty struck out Lippincott for the second out. Following an intentional walk of Martinez, Abbatiello came up with another 3-2 strikeout, this time of Nick Landell, as the game remained tied at 4-4.

Wagner was set down in order in the top of the 11th.  Abbatiello went back to work in the bottom of the stanza. After striking out Jennings swinging, Nick Garland ripped a double down the right field line, but nothing materialized as Abbatiello got Dean Lockery to foul out to third and get Debrosse to fly out to left.

Mazzio kicked off the 12th with a single to right field.  Following a strikeout of Wise, Brown was able to get Mascelli to ground into the inning-ending 1-6-3 double play. 

In the bottom of the 12th, Coleman drew a walk and stole second. Abbatiello was able to get Lippincott to ground out to Johnson at third for the first out of the inning before the Seahawks went to the bullpen for Heitler.  

Martinez took Heitler's first pitch for a ball before ending the game with his second home run of the afternoon to center field as the Blue Devils walked off with a 6-4 victory. 

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