Pictured Above: Senior LF Anthony Godino (Credit: Robert Pimpsner)
 
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Durham, NC – Senior LF Anthony Godino's two-run home run in the top of the tenth proved to be the difference as the Wagner baseball team opened the 2018 season with a 7-6 win over the North Carolina Central University Eagles.
 
For Wagner (1-0), it marked the first opening night victory since February 22, 2013, in which the Green & White was victorious in extra innings, defeating Big East members, Villanova, 5-4, in ten innings at the North Carolina State Tournament.
 
Godino paced the Seahawks, going 2-for-4 at the plate while scoring a team-best three runs and driving two RBIs off his tenth inning round-tripper. Sophomore designated hitter Freddy Sabido also added two hits in the win.
 
Junior 1B Will Johnson connected on his first collegiate home run while matching his career-high with three RBIs, as he did so against Grambling back last season.  Additionally, all nine starters for Wagner recorded a hit in belting 11 for the contest.
 
On the mound, junior LHP Neil Abbatiello turned in a solid performance, lasting five innings while allowing just three hits, two earned runs a walk and struck out a career-high seven batters in taking the no-decision. Fellow classmate Douglas Molnar came on in relief of Abbatiello, tossing 2.1 innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs while also striking out a batter.
 
Newcomer Koby Bishop made his Wagner debut as the junior southpaw lasted 1.1 innings while striking out two batters and walking one. Sophomore right-hander Nick Robino, who picked the victory, threw 1.1 innings of relief while striking out two in earning his first collegiate victory.
 
N.C. Central was paced by Corey Joyce, who supplied much the power for the Eagles, going 2-for-5 with two home runs while driving in three. Evan Holland also went deep in his five plate appearances while driving in two. Mitchell McCrary had a team-best three hits in the contest while scoring a run.
 
The game started out as a pitchers' duel with both teams being held off the scoreboard and only had three hits combined over the first three frames. Wagner was first to get on the board in the top of the fourth. Following a strikeout of Capra, Sabido was able to swipe second while Godino came in to score on a throwing error by the Eagles' catcher, Timmy Fischvogt, after the Thornwood, NY native led off the inning by being hit by an errant pitch.
 
The next batter, senior RF Kyle Cala, laced a single to right field, moving Sabido to third but the 6-7 sophomore alertly came home to score after seeing the NCCU right fielder, Jacob Raby's, throw come in offline.
The Eagles responded in the bottom of the frame. McCrary reached base on an infield single. After Abbatiello got ahead in the count (0-1), Joyce connected on his first of two home runs of the contest in tying the game at 2-2.
 
Following a scoreless fifth inning, Wagner regained the lead in the top of the sixth. Godino led off with a single to right center field and stole second before Capra walked in giving the visitors runners on first and second. After Sweet stuck out Cala looking, he fell behind in the count to Johnson, who turned on the next pitch he saw for a three-run blast in giving Wagner a 5-2 advantage. A single by junior Anthony Pecora ended Sweet's night.
 
The Seahawks were rolling along until the bottom of the eighth when N.C. Central cut the deficit to one, 5-4, as Holland ripped a blast over the right centerfield wall. Wagner went to the bullpen in bringing the southpaw Bishop in for Molnar, as he got McCrary down on strikes and Joyce to fly-out to center to end the inning.
 
Heading into the bottom of the ninth, Wagner was ahead by one. Bishop allowed the leadoff man on after he was plunked by a pitch and moved into scoring position after a successful sacrifice bunt from Dominic Cuevas. Zach Michalski was down in the count (1-2) but was able to reach after he doubled double the left field line which brought in pinch-runner, Jordan Varela, for the tying score.
 
It appeared that the Eagles were poised to win in walk-off fashion after the bases were loaded following a walk and a single. Bishop was able to regain his composure on the bump and strike out Carter Williams before Wagner went back to the bullpen in bringing in Robino. The second-year reliever was able to fan Holland on five-pitches as the game headed for extra innings.
 
In the top of the tenth, senior SS Sean Mazzio reached on a bunt single, bringing Godino to the plate. After taking as stirke and fouling one off, the two-time All-Northeast Conference (NEC) selection stepped back into the batter's box and connected on a towering home run that sailed over the left field wall. It looked as if Wagner was primed to make it a bigger inning as Sabido followed with a double to right but Sampson was able to record the final two outs of the inning.
 
In the bottom of the tenth, Robino got McCrary to foul out to Pecora along the third base side for the first out of the inning. N.C. Central's Joyce burned the Seahawks again, taking Robino's first-pitch over the right field wall, closing the gap to 7-6. Back-to-back singles from Varela and Cuevas gave the Eagles life but Robino was able to spoil the potential comeback win, striking out Drake Murray and getting Fischvogt to ground out to second ending the ballgame.
 
The Seahawks and Eagles resume play tomorrow afternoon, February 18, with first-pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Saturday's probable starters are newcomer Eric Ligda for Wagner, who will be making his Seahawk debut and he will be opposed by Jonathan Figueroa, who won four games for the Eagles last season.

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