2018 NEC Baseball Tournament Headquarters
Pictured Above: Senior infielder Kyle Brey (Credit: Brian Foley)
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Norwich, CT - In Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament action on Saturday, No. 2-seeded Wagner defeated top-seeded Bryant, 6-1, in an elimination game and now faces a quick turnaround, advancing to a Championship Bracket Contest vs. No. 3-seeded LIU Brooklyn at 4:00 p.m.
If the Seahawks win today's 4:00 p.m. contest vs.the Blackbirds, an "if necessary" game is slated for Sunday at 12:00 p.m. that will decide the 2018 NEC Championship and the league's accompanying automatic NCAA bid.
If LIU Brooklyn defeats Wagner today, the Blackbirds will claim the 2018 NEC title.
To watch a free, live webstream of the Wagner-LIU Brooklyn game, click HERE
To follow the contest via Live Stats, click HERE
Freshman RHP
Pat Gallagher fired off five innings of one-run ball, giving up three hits while walking one and striking out two. Senior southpaw
Brad Currao came on in relief of Gallagher, tossing three innings of shutout baseball while giving up just a hit and fanning three Bulldogs. Sophomore All-NEC First Teamer,
Nick Robino, came and worked a perfect ninth in preserving the win. This Seahawk pitching trio scattered a combined four hits while combining for five strikeouts.
The Green & White opened the game with two runs in the third inning, pushed across one in the the sixth and three more in the eighth.
This afternoon's contest between the Seahawks and Bulldogs marked the second straight season that two teams have squared off in an elimination contest, as
Wagner walked off last season over the Bulldogs, 6-5, ending Bryant's season.
Sophomore 1B
Tyler Sanfillippo led the way for Wagner offensively, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored. Senior 2B
Kyle Brey was a major factor as well, finishing the day 2-for-3 with two runs scored while driving in three of the Seahawks six runs. Seniors
Kyle Cala and
Nick Mascelli each contributed one hit and one RBI to the Seahawk cause.
Bryant's James Ciliento and Ryan Ward were the only Bulldogs to get hits in the contest, each going 2-for-4. The Bulldogs' lone run came in the bottom of the sixth on a wild pitch.
Gallagher retired the first two Bulldogs he faced in the top of the first on back-to-back flyouts before allowing a single to Ryan Ward. The righty then hit Shane Kelly with an errant pitch, giving Bryant runners on first and second but the freshman was able to get out of the frame with a fly ball to center.
Brey was hit by a pitch to lead off the top of the third for Wagner. A walk to Godino gave the Seahawks a pair of runners on with no outs. On the first pitch to Cala, he laid down a sacrifice bunt that was fielded by Bryant catcher Mickey Gasper, who tried to get the out at third. His throw, however, was off line, allowing Brey to come across for the first run while Cala and Godino each moved up a base.
The next Seahawk batter, Mascelli sent an 0-1 dribbler up the first base line that was fielded by Gasper, who got the out at first, while Godino trotted home on the fielder's choice as Wagner went ahead, 2-0.
In the top of the sixth, sophomore DH
Freddy Sabido sent a one-out single to right and Sanfillippo followed with a single to left center, moving Sabido to third. The Seahawks then attempted a double steal, but Sabido was thrown out at the plate for the second out of the inning. Pecora gave Wagner runners on first and second with a single through the left side. Brey battled with Bryant's Vito Morgese for seven pitches before sending a single to center field, which scored Sanfillippo in extending Wagner's lead to 3-0.
Gallagher, notched the win in improving to 4-3 on the year, allowing just two singles in five innings of work, one to and left with the bases loaded in the sixth. Currao then came on in relief to get Kelly to line out to short for the first out of the inning.
Bryant got on the board in the inning, as Currao struck out Wright but Ciliento came around to score on a wild pitch, as the ball trickled away from Capra. Currao limited the damage and got out of the inning when he got Angelini to fly out to right ending the Bryant threat with Wagner in front by a count of 3-1.
The Seahawks scored thrice in the top of the eighth in extending their lead to 6-1. With two outs, Sanfillippo singled to right, followed by a walk to Pecora that put two runners on for the Green & White. Both men advanced a base on a wild pitch before Brey drove them both in with a two-run single up-the-middle as Wagner led 5-1. Following a hit-by-pitch to Godino, Cala ripped an RBI base hit back up the middle as the Seahawks led by five en route to the victory.
