Pictured Above: Sophomore Mike Ruggiero (Credit: Robert M. Pimpsner, PinstripedProspects.com)
Box Score |
Box Score (HTML)
Staten Island, NY – With the game tied at 1-1 heading into the bottom of the eighth, the Wagner College baseball team scored the go-ahead and added an insurance run while holding off a late Manhattan rally in the ninth to hold on for the 3-2 win on Wednesday evening at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
With the victory, the Seahawks, who have now won five of its last six games, improve to 15-21 overall while the Jaspers fall to 15-26 on the season. In addition, Wagner improved to 5-1 against teams from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC).
Sophomore 2B
Mike Ruggiero and senior 3B
Will Johnson each collected two hits with Ruggiero driving what turned out to be the go-ahead score in the bottom of the eighth. Junior
Griffin Schneider and senior
Anthony Pecora also drove in a RBI in tonight's victory.
Junior
Nick Zuppe opened tonight's contest, going an inning while striking out one and giving up a hit. The Seahawks used a total of five arms from the bullpen in picking up the victory. Junior
Ryan Lauk earned his second win of the season, working a scoreless eighth inning. Classmate
Nick Robino picked up his sixth save of the season.
Nick Cimillo led the way for the visiting Jaspers with two hits. Matt Padre was credited with the lone RBI in the contest for the visitors. Carson Coon was saddled with the loss, giving up two runs on three hits in the bottom of the eighth.
The Seahawks got on the board first in the bottom of the fifth as Schneider lofted a fly to left field as senior CF
Joe Silvestrone tagged up from third to come around to score.
Manhattan quickly responded in the sixth, as Padre sent a RBI grounder to second on junior
Justin Beyer's full count delivery that tied the game at 1-1.
The Jaspers threatened in their half of the eighth, as they Keury Abreu, who led off the inning with a walk, moved to third on Lauk's wild pitch. Lauk settled down and struck out Sam Franco before getting Padre to ground out to first ending the rally.
Wagner capitalized in its half of the eighth. With one out, Schneider was plunked by an errant pitch. The Seahawks elected for a pinch-hitter in sophomore
Emil Matti, who struck out but Schneider was able to steal second as a result.
Down in the count, 1-2, Ruggiero singled back up-the-middle that plated home Schneider, as the Seahawks took the lead, 2-1.
Freshman catcher
Johnny Kampes kept the inning going with a single to left before Pecora belted a run-scoring single to right that scored Ruggiero in upping the Wagner lead by two.
Robino came on in the ninth. He got Cimillo to pop up to Ruggiero at second for the first out. The Smithtown, NY native wasn't done in the frame, as Dominic Palma smoke a high-arching fly that looked to was destined to be out of Ruggiero's reach but the slick-fielding sophomore second baseman was able to double-pump and make the leaping snag for the second out of the inning.
Manhattan's David Moffett was able to reach on a single that moved Alex Cerda, who was hit-by-a-pitch, over to third. Cerda and Cam Crabbe, who pinch-ran for Moffett, advanced a base as Cerda touched home plate on the wild pitch.
Robino was able to regain his composure and strike out Jake Knop to end the ballgame.
Wagner gears up for a pivotal Northeast Conference (NEC) weekend, as the Seahawks will remain at home to host league-leaders, and fellow defending regular-season champs, the Bryant Bulldogs, for a three-game set, beginning on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
Follow us: #CHAOSonthehill
Wagner Athletics:
Wagner Baseball:
