Photo by Brian Foley
NEC CHAMPIONSHIP HEADQUARTERS
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Norwich, CT – The No. 2-seeded Wagner Seahawks dropped a tightly-contested, 2-1, decision to No. 3-seeded LIU Brooklyn on day one of the 2018 Northeast Conference (NEC) Tournament on Thursday afternoon at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT.
Wagner (36-17) will now take on the No. 4-seeded Mount St. Mary's Mountaineers (21-32) in Friday's elimination game, which will commence at 12:00 p.m. In the other opening day contest held earlier today, top-seeded Bryant earned a 21-6 win over the Mountaineers, as the Bulldogs will now face LIU Brooklyn in the winner's bracket on Friday at 4:00 p.m.
Junior right-hander,
Eric Ligda threw 6.2 shutout innings, allowing just four hits. The 6-5 righty had three strikeouts, along with three walks, in his NEC Tournament debut while not factoring into the decision. Sophomore
Nick Robino (7-4) took the loss, as the Blackbirds plated two unearned runs in the eighth inning. In 2.1 innings of relief, the First-Team All-NEC selection allowed just two hits to go with one strikeout and one walk.
All-NEC Second Teamer,
Phil Capra, led the way for the Seahawks at the plate, going 2-for-3, with the only run scored for the Green & White. Classmate
Joe Silvestrone went 1-for-4, singling home Capra in the bottom of the ninth in extending Wagner's chance for their seventh walk-off win of the season.
LIU Brooklyn's Patrick Clyne (5-4) held Wagner off the board over his 7.1 innings of work as the lefthander struck out seven while allowing three walks. Mike Kreiger picked up his sixth save, working the final 1.2 innings, giving up three hits and one run while striking out two. Andrew Turner led the Blackbirds with two hits while Dom Paiotti was credited with lone RBI for LIU Brooklyn.
Wagner had an early chance in the second inning when All-NEC First Teamer,
Kyle Cala, worked a one-out walk and moved into scoring position as Capra sent a single through the left side. With two men out following Silvestrone's foul out to the catcher, junior
Anthony Pecora swung at strike three but reached first on a throwing error by the Blackbirds backstop to load the bases. With the count in his favor at 2-1, sophomore 1B
Tyler Sanfillippo then ripped a liner down the third base line that was snagged by the Blackbirds' Alex Briggs to end the inning.
From that point on, both teams were in a virtual deadlock, as only two hits were produced until the top of the eighth inning. After allowing back-to-back singles, followed with a walk that loaded the bases, Robino recorded the first out in the inning when he struck out Modica on six pitches.
The deciding runs came off the bat of LIU's Dom Paiotti, who sent a grounder to second baseman
Nick Mascelli. The senior fielded the grounder and came up throwing, trying to get the force out at home, but his throw sailed high over Capra's reach, allowing Briggs to race in for the second run. Robino got out of the inning, retiring Luis Arias on a fly out to right and a strikeout of Joe Curcio.
In the ninth, Wagner tried to stage a walk-off encore, similar to last season's thriller against Bryant. After the first two men were set down, Capra took Kreiger's full count pitch down the left field line for a double and came around to score as Silvestrone singled back up the middle to make it a 2-1 game.
The Seahawks elected for a pinch-hitter in the form of freshman
Ben Montenegro. Montenegro saw one pitch from Kreiger before grounding back to the mound in ending the contest.
In tomorrow's elimination game, the Seahawks and Mountaineers are meeting in the NEC Tournament for just the second time in program history with the Mount leading 1-0, after besting the Green & White, 5-1, back in 2008.
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