Lakewood, NJ – The Wagner College baseball withstood an early three-run deficit to close the gap to just two runs after eighth, but a solo home run from Central Connecticut's Dave Matthews in the ninth doubled up the Green & White as Wagner dropped the series finale, 6-3, on Sunday afternoon.
 
With the loss, the Seahawks drop to 8-19 overall and 5-16 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Blue Devils improve to 18-9 and 15-6 in league tilts.
 
Griffin Schneider and Jake Lutz were the catalysts for the Wagner offense on the afternoon, as both went 2 for 3 at the plate with Schneider driving in two RBI and Lutz being credited with an RBI as well. Jared Gillen went 1 for 3 with two runs scored to extend his hitting streak to nine games.
 
John LaPointe (1-1) allowed four runs on seven hits in his 3.2 innings of work this afternoon. Nicholas Hanson came on in relief, lasting 2.1 innings in which he recorded two strikeouts. Mike Pirrotta worked the final three innings, striking out five batters.
 
Matthews, Buddy Dewaine, Jeff Nicol, and Matt Bertochi each had two hits for the visitors. Nicol and Noah Martinez led the way with two RBI while Matthews scored twice.
 
Anthony Mozzicato (4-1) gave up two runs on five hits while striking out five in picking up the win. Jake Neuman earned his second save of the series and seventh of the year after working a scoreless ninth inning.
 
CCSU plated across three runs in the top of the second in building the early lead. Dewaine led off with a single to right-center. Matthews sent a one-out single through the right side that gave the Blue Devils runners on the corner.
 
Following a walk to Mike Torniero, Nicol connected on a two-run single to left that plated both Dewaine and Matthews before Nicol moved to second on the throw home, giving CCSU an early 2-0 lead. Bertochi followed with a hard-hit ball back-up-the-middle that scored Torniero to up the lead to 3-0.
 
The Seahawks got on the board in the bottom of the inning. Tyler Sanfilippo drew a two-out walk. Mike Ruggiero moved Sanfilippo over to second after sending a single through the right side. Down 0-1 in the count, Lutz singled to center, which plated Sanfilippo for the team's first run, but Lutz was thrown out trying to move to second.
 
Martinez clubbed a leadoff home run to right field to start the third as CCSU went ahead, 4-1. The Blue Devils added a run in the sixth, going ahead by four, 5-1.
 
Two straight singles from Nicol and Bertochi put the first two men on base. TJ Wainwright bunted the runners over. Jay Devito drew a walk to load the bases for Martinez. Ahead in the count 2-0, Martinez lofted a deep fly to center as Nicol tagged up and scored.
 
Wagner was able to trim the CCSU lead back down to three, 5-2. Gillen led off the Seahawk sixth with a walk. David Melfi connected on a single through the left side that put an end to Mozzicato's afternoon.
 
Dylan Benton came on for Mozzicato. Benton was able to get Schneider in an 0-2 count, but then, Minnetonka, MN native ripped a single to right field, which brought in Gillen for Wagner's second run of the game.
 
In the bottom of the eight, Gillen reached on a single to right as CCSU went to its bullpen, bringing in Dominic Niman  Gillen moved to second on the wild pitch by Niman. The CCSU reliever settled down, getting Melfi to foul out to the catcher for the first out.
 
Schneider stepped up to the plate and sent a deep fly to right field that Matthews was able to catch on the diving attempt. Matthews popped back up, but, Gillen, alertly realizing that the right fielder was taking too much time, scored from second on the play, as Wagner cut the deficit to two, 5-3.
 
Pirrotta was able to get Sam Loda to fly out to right for the first out. He got ahead of the next batter, Matthews, who made up for his near blunder, as he connected on a towering home run, that cleared the centerfield wall, as the Blue Devils doubled up Wagner, 6-3.
 
Neuman came on for Niman in the bottom of the inning. He inadvertently hit Lutz with a pitch before Lutz moved to second on a balk. The Seahawks couldn't get Lutz around to score as Johnny Kampes, who pinch-hit for Caleb Ward, struck out looking to end the ballgame.
 
Wagner gets set to face a familiar opponent in the Fairleigh Dickinson University Knights. The three-game set will be played at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex in Teaneck, NJ, starting on Friday, May 7 with a 3:00 p.m. first-pitch.