Staten Island, NY — In a comeback 6-4 win over UMES on Friday, Wagner won its fourth Northeast Conference series of the season and moves to 14-3 in conference play.
Similar to game one, the Hawks jumped out early, scoring three runs on five hits against starter Colin Trizuto. The series has been a battle of the bullpens and both teams have used their arms well. UMES has pulled its starter in the first inning of each game after the Seahawks scored early, relying on strong middle-inning performances from its relievers.
In Wagner's case on Friday, sophomore lefty Keith Davis and junior Justin Roitman combined to throw the final 5.1 innings. Davis allowed just one run and Roitman's 3.0 hitless innings kept the Hawks off the board for the final third of the game. Earning the win, his record now sits at 2-1 through 12 appearances this season.
The Hawks ended their day with seven hits and just four walks. While the batters kept hitting in game two, Wagner's defense stranded seven of those runners a
Wagner got on the board in the first with two runs on one hit from graduate Xavier Ulrich, a two-RBI single with the bases loaded. Scoring steadily, the Hawks added a single run in the second, third and fourth, but the Seahawks answered again in the fourth to tie up the game.
Graduate Lukas Torres led off the Wagner lineup with a 3-of-4 day, batting in three runs and walking once. The big hit of the day from Torres was a single to the left side that the Hawks struggled to field, which allowed freshman Matt Sutera to score from third and tie the game up at 4-4.
Moving up to hit third and making a big impact, senior Bryce Phelps was also 3-of-5, adding an RBI of his own. His RBI single in the seventh scored the winning run, scoring Torres and giving Wagner a 5-4 lead.
Junior Nicholas Mazzotta and senior Mateo Matthews each walked twice. Sophomore Leo Doyle entered the game as a defensive replacement in center field and went 1-of-1 at the plate, scoring Wagner's final run in the eighth to give the Seahawks a 6-4 lead.
The two teams return to SIUH Community Park for a 5 p.m. EST first pitch in game three of the series. The Seahawks are looking for a fourth NEC series sweep.
