Baltimore, Md. — Wagner won its second Northeast Conference series on Saturday with a 12-7 win over Coppin State.
Now on a season-high four-game win streak, the Seahawks are looking for a second conference sweep heading into Sunday's finale.
Sophomore Joseph Mennella built on a week of hot hitting, batting 6-of-15 through the week's four games. Mennella retook the lead for home runs this season after sophomore Diego Tavarez had tied it at three, sending his fourth long ball over the left field wall in the top of the fourth to bring the Seahawks within one.
Hitting third and fourth, respectively, Mennella and sophomore Diego Tavarez combined to go 4-of-9 at the plate with a walk, four runs and two RBIs.
An error from Coppin State in the sixth allowed freshman Matt Sutera to score the tying run to bring the game to 3-3 in the top of the fifth.
The Seahawks did not let the Eagles take advantage of the tie, though, jumping out in the sixth to score six additional runs on six hits and two errors. Four of those were extra-base hits.
Sutera had a two-RBI triple to right center field that marked his sixth extra-base hit of the season. He leads all Seahawks in runs batted in this season with 16, going 2-of-4 at the plate Saturday with those two runs batted in.
The Seahawks have been explosive on offense recently, scoring double-digit runs in the last three of their four wins. Six of the team's nine NEC games have seen the Seahawks score in the double digits.
Senior Bryce Phelps added a hit, one of three Seahawks who batted in two runs. Sophomore Christian Knight continued to step up big at the plate, logging two hits with an RBI. Knight is batting .353 with a .542 OBP through 11 appearances and four starts this season.
Senior Michael Cunningham logged his second save of the week after closing out Wednesday's win over Iona, entering Saturday's game with two outs in the ninth when Coppin State showed life and added two runs to make it a 12-7 game.
Relief pitcher A.J. Hiestand earned his first win of the season, Wagner's third pitcher of the game who threw 1.2 innings and allowed just one run in the bottom of the seventh.
Junior Andrew Ravelo remained a steady reliever for the Seahawks, entering behind Hiestand to record two strikeouts in a bases-loaded jam. He went 1.1 innings and struck out four of the eight batters he faced.
Now 6-2 in NEC play, the Seahawks look for a second series sweep in game three. Sunday's game will begin at noon.
