Pictured Above: Senior outfielder Kyle Cala (Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner, Pinstripedprospects.com)
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Brooklyn, NY – The Wagner baseball team saw its seven-game winning streak come to an end as LIU Brooklyn overcame a 7-0 sixth-inning deficit by scoring eight straight runs, including two in the bottom of the ninth inning which came on consecutive bases-loaded walks, at LIU Field on Friday afternoon.
In dropping the opener of the four-game series, the Green & White fall to 30-13 on the season and were denied an opportunity to tie the Wagner single-season record of 31 wins.
Despite the loss, the Seahawks remain in first place in the Northeast Conference (NEC) standings at 15-4, just ahead of second-place Bryant (17-5). With the win, the third-place Blackbirds improve to 23-19 overall and 11-7 in NEC play.
Wagner will again look to match, and perhaps, break the all-time single-season win record as the series continues with three games over the next two days, with a doubleheader set for Saturday, followed by a single nine-inning contest on Sunday (1:00 p.m.)
The Seahawks gained control of today's game early, scoring three times in the first inning. After plating their first run on a throwing errors, senior left fielder
Anthony Godino had an RBI double to right while fellow classmate,
Kyle Cala, added an RBI single to make it a 3-0 game. Wagner added another run in extending its lead to 4-0 on Cala's second RBI single of the night.
The Seahawks then pushed another three runs across in the sixth in taking a seemingly comfortable 7-0 lead. A sacrifice fly by sophomore 1B
Tyler Sanfillippo scored designated hitter
Freddy Sabido from third to make it a 5-0 game. The next two runs came on the same play when senior 2B
Nick Mascelli ripped an RBI single to center, which was misplayed by the centerfielder for an error, allowing junior CF
Joe Silvestrone, who had reached on a single, to score Wagner's seventh run.
Wagner starting right-hander
Eric Ligda, meanwhile, was sailing along on the mound, retiring the first nine batters he faced before getting into trouble in the sixth.
LIU Brooklyn got back into the game in the home half of the sixth, scoring four times, with two of the runs coming on RBI singles by Edward Modica and Gregory Vaughn, Jr., another on a fielder's choice, and the fourth run coming via a bases-loaded walk issued by senior southpaw,
Brad Currao, who had come on to replace Ligda on the mound.
After the Seahawks went down in order in the seventh, LIU drew to within one run at 7-6 on a two-run home run by Modica. That's the way the score remained until the ninth inning when the Blackbirds mounted their comeback against sophomore reliever
Nick Robino. It started when Robino hit Modica with a pitch. After he was sacrificed to second, Robino got Andrew Smith looking for the second out of the inning.
After Brock Hallum, pinch-hitting for Rob Griswold, drew a walk to put runners on first and second, Alex Briggs was then hit by a pitch to load the bases. Robino's control problems continued as he then walked Anthony Warneke to force in the tying run.
The last at-bat of the game was a classic battle between Robino and Luis Arias de los Santos. The count eventually worked to 3-2 as LIU was down to its last strike. After Arias fouled off several pitches to stay alive, he took ball four high, forcing in the game-winning run.
Robino took the loss in falling to 6-3 on the year while Baylor LaPointe picked up the win in relief for LIU.
Cala led Wagner at the plate by going 3-for-4 with two RBI. Supplying two hits apiece for the Seahawks were Mascelli and Sabido, who added an RBI as this trio accounted for eight of Wagner's 10 hits on the day. LIU had three players go 2-for-4 at the plate, with Monica's big two-run homer accounting for two of his three RBIs. Warneke and Smith were the other two Blackbirds to go 2-for-4.
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