Emmitsburg, MD – After three runs were scored in the first three innings, the Wagner College baseball team and the Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers combined to record 31 runs over the next six frames with the Seahawks able to hold off the Mountaineers in claiming an 18-16 series opening win on Friday afternoon.
With the victory, the Green & White improves to 19-25 and even their Northeast Conference (NEC) record to 11-11 while the Mount fall to 7-37 and 4-21 in league contests. At the conclusion of today's contest, the Seahawks found themselves in fourth place in the league standings after the LIU Brooklyn Blackbirds defeated the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, 9-7, in Brooklyn. LIU Brooklyn improves to 22-25 and 12-11 in league contests while SHU falls to 18-34 overall and 11-13 in the league and currently are two games out in the loss column for the fourth and final playoff spot.
Freshman designated hitter
Freddy Sabido (Staten Island, NY/Susan E. Wagner [Saint Louis Univ.]) went 2-for-5 with two runs scored and five RBIs. Sophomore 3B
Anthony Pecora (Mamaroneck, NY/Mamaroneck) went 2-for-6 and like Sabido, scored twice and drove in five RBIs. Junior SS
Sean Mazzio (West Chester, PA/Salesianum School [DE]), LF
Anthony Godino (Thornwood, NY/Pleasantville) and sophomore CF
Joe Silvestrone (Manalapan, NJ/Freehold Township) also had two hits on the day with Mazzio and Godino driving in two runs. Silvestrone, along with junior RF
Kyle Cala (Brick, NJ/Brick Memorial) and freshman 1B
Nick D'Amore (Philadelphia, PA/Neumann-Goretti), also added RBIs in the victory.
On the hill, senior RHP
Austin Goeke (Bordentown, NJ/The Hun School) lasted five innings, giving up four hits, two earned runs and two walks while striking out four in recording his sixth win of the season (6-2). LHP
Brad Currao (Howell, NJ/St. Rose) pitched to two batters in the sixth inning, giving up just a hit. Freshman right-handed reliever
Steven Bowley (Medford, NJ/Holy Cross Academy) went three innings in relief of Currao before sophomore RHP
Douglas Molnar (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) came on for Bowley to finish the game.
Mount St. Mary's was paced by Tyler Post, who went 4-for-6 with two runs scored and drove in five RBIs. Alex Kriss went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and RBI while Vaughn Parker II finished 2-for-5 with a runs scored and a RBI for the home team. Mount starter Seth Schubert took the loss, dropping to 0-10 on the year, after going four innings and giving up six hits, eight runs (seven earned) while walking three Seahawks.
Wagner started the scoring frenzy in the top of the second. With one out, Cala was hit by a pitch and Silvestrone laced a single through the right side. Pecora sent a two-run triple to right center, plating both Cala and Silvestrone for the game's first runs. Pecora came in for the third run of the inning when D'Amore fouled out down the first baseline as Pecora came around to score.
Following a scoreless third, the Seahawks added a run in the top of the fourth in going up 4-0. Cala led off with an infield single to short and moved to second on a base hit from Silvestrone. In an attempt to get Cala out at third, the Mount's first baseman threw the ball away, extending the Seahawks lead. The Mountaineers got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Post ripped a one-out double to left center and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Will Enrico lofted a sacrifice fly to left, scoring Post.
Wagner added four more runs in to the top of the fifth to go ahead, 8-1. Sabido ripped a two-run double to right field, scoring Mazzio and Godino and ending Schubert's day on the mound. The Mountaineers went to the bullpen in Nathan Seltsam. The first batter he saw, Cala, flew out to centerfield, scoring sophomore catcher
Phil Capra (North Salem, NY/North Salem). Silvestrone followed with a sac-fly to left, plating Sabido. Mount scored its second run of the game in the bottom of the fifth as Patrick Causa doubled to left center field, scoring Jared Urban, who reached on a two-out walk.
Both teams scored seven runs in their respective halves of the sixth inning. Mazzio drove in both junior 2B
Kyle Brey (Middletown, NJ/Middletown South) and D'Amore, as Wagner led 10-2. The next batter, Godino, smashed his fifth home run of the season, a two-run shot that sailed over the left field wall. A walk to Capra forced Mount to go to the bullpen in the form of Noah Smith. A walk to pinch-hitter freshman
Eric Lauk (Mullica Hill, NJ/Clearview Regional) gave the Seahawks two runners with two outs. On a 2-1 pitch from Smith, Pecora connected on his second home run of the season, a three-run round tripper to center field, as the visitors led, 15-2.
Mount answered back in the bottom of the stanza. Senior RHP
Eric McGough (Media, PA/Archbishop John Carroll) issued four walks, which plated a run as Mount began their comeback attempt. Back-to-back RBI singles trimmed the Wagner lead to 15-5. McGough issued his fifth walk of the inning, adding another run for the Mountaineers. Currao was summoned to relieve McGough. Post belted a two-run single through the left side, trimming the deficit to 15-7 and tacked on the inning's final tally on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Dennis Stewart.
In the seventh, Wagner went back up by ten runs, 17-7. Godino led off with a double to left center and moved to third on a grounder from sophomore catcher
James Wise (Staten Island, NY/Tottenville). Sabido launched his team-leading seventh home run of the season on a 2-1 pitch that increased the lead back to double-digits. Mount continued to fight back with a run in the bottom of the eighth as Enrico hit a solo home run over the left field wall, with the score showing 17-10.
In the Wagner ninth, Sabido recorded his fifth RBI of the day when he was beamed with a pitch as the bases were loaded, scoring Mazzio. Mount St. Mary's made things very interesting in the bottom of the ninth, nearly completing the comeback attempt with six runs in the inning.
The Mount got back-to-back walks to lead off the frame and Kriss singled to right which loaded the bases with no one out. Mitch Sgrignoli drew a walk, scoring Zach Hostetter. Causa flew out to right, plating home Chris Wessels, as the home team trailed 18-12
Wagner went to the bullpen, bringing in Molnar for Bowley. Post connected on 1-1 pitch that drove in three runs on his home run, cutting the deficit to just 18-15. With two outs, Brendan Dabagian doubled to right field and came around to score on a Parker II single to center field as Mount cut the Wagner lead to 18-16. Molnar closed the door on the potential comeback win, getting Hostetter to fly out to left ending the game.
These teams are scheduled to play a pair of seven-inning contests tomorrow, game one's first pitch slated for 1:00 p.m.
