Pictured Above: Senior Will Johnson (Credit: Ross Pirrotta)
 
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Staten Island, NY – The Wagner College baseball team dropped the series finale to the Bryant University Bulldogs, 3-2, on Sunday afternoon at the Richmond County Bank Ballpark.
 
With the loss, the Seahawks fall to 15-24 overall and 8-10 in Northeast Conference (NEC) play while the Bulldogs improve to 31-13 and 13-2 in conference matches.
 
Junior 1B Tyler Sanfillippo and senior 3B Will Johnson each led the way for the Seahawks at the plate with two hits apiece. Sanfillippo and senior SS Anthony Pecora scored the two runs for the Green & White with Johnson driving in the lone RBI in the contest.
 
Junior starter McCae Allen took the loss after tossing seven innings in which he allowed three runs on seven hits while walking four and striking out five batters. Classmate Justin Beyer finished the contest, throwing the final two scoreless frames while walking one, striking out two and giving up two hits.
 
Sam Owens and Ryan Ward each had multi-hit games, with Owens collecting a team-high three hits and Ward scoring twice, driving in an RBI and getting two hits. Jimmy Titus and Brian Nicolas also drove in an RBI for the Bulldogs this afternoon.
 
John MacDonald earned his second win of the season, going 5.2 frames in which he allowed two runs on five hits while walking five and striking out three. The Bryant trio of relievers in Will Treuel, Nathan Wrigther and Chris Wright allowed just two hits over the final 3.1 innings with Wright, who started the day at first earned his eleventh save of the season.
 
Bryant struck first as Ward led off the game with an RBI double and came around to score on a RBI sacrifice fly off the bat of Titus in grabbing the early lead. Wagner answered back in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at 1-1.
 
Pecora led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a single from junior Freddy Sabido. With one-out, Sanfillippo drew a free pass that loaded the bases for Johnson, who reached on a fielder's choice, but allowed Pecora to trout home for Wagner's first run.
 
Following a scoreless second, Wagner took the lead, 2-1, in the bottom of the third. With two outs in the inning, Sanfillippo looped a double over the second base area. The Wayne, NJ native advanced to third on MacDonald's first of two wild pitches, which ultimately brought in Sanfillippo.
 
The Seahawks held on to the lead until the top of the fifth, as Bryant tied the game at 2-2 on Ward's one-out solo home run to right field. The visitors scored what turned out to be the go-ahead score in the top of the sixth.
 
Owens led off with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from Nick Angelini. Allen was able to strikeout Gaby Cruz for the second out of the frame but Nicolas came through for the Bulldogs, sending Allen's first-pitch to right, which scored Owens and made it 3-2.
 
The Green & White had a chance in the bottom of the seventh to even the score. Senior Joe Silvestrone reached on an infield single back to the pitcher and promptly stole second. Wagner narrowly tied the game on Sanfillippo's single to center but Angelini fielded the ball and fired the ball to Cruz, who was able to apply the tag on Silvestrone trying to score.
 
The rally continued as Johnson walked and sophomore Emil Matti, who came on as pinch-hitter, also walked but couldn't come into score as sophomore Brandon Hall grounded into the inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
 
Wagner concludes its seven-game homestand as the Seahawks renew its season-series with Central Connecticut on May 3-5 at Richmond County Bank Ballpark.

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