Trenton, NJ — Wagner took one of two games against the Central Connecticut Blue Devils on Friday, opening with a run-rule 15-1 win before dropping game two in a 7-3 loss.
The Wagner offense came alive early and put a blemish on a CCSU team that has been nearly perfect in conference play.
Game 1
The 15-1 opener was a seven-inning affair with the run rule taking affect, which allowed senior starting pitcher Jake Toporek to throw a complete game. His outing was just the second complete game by a Wagner pitcher this season and was a massive step in protecting the bullpen for the remainder of the series. He wrapped up his day with 7.0 innings pitched and just one run allowed on six hits, walking one batter and striking out four.
The only run Toporek allowed was in the second where an aggressive runner managed to advance around the bases and score on a sacrifice fly. From there, Toporek shut out the Blue Devils for five consecutive innings.
On the offensive side, the Seahawks quickly got to undefeated Drew Munn, CCSU's game one starter. Through his 3.0 innings pitched, Wagner scored nine runs on seven hits, working three walks. After chasing Munn from the game, the Seahawks added six runs on ten hits through the game's final three frames.
Every Seahawk in the lineup got on base and eight of nine batters logged a hit. Freshman Matt Sutera led the way with a 4-of-4 day, scoring two runs and accounting for two RBIs.
Sutera opened up Wagner's scoring with an RBI single in the third, starting off what would become an eight-run inning for the Seahawks. Joining Sutera with a big day at the plate, graduate Lukas Torres was 3-of-4 with three RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Connor Roche was the other Seahawk with three hits, going 3-of-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs, including his first career home run.
Torres followed Sutera in the third with an RBI single of his own, then a sacrifice fly from junior Nicholas Mazzotta scored Sutera and pushed the Wagner lead to 3-1. An RBI single from senior Bryce Phelps kept the line going, then graduate Xavier Ulrich emptied the bases with a two-RBI double.
Roche then pushed Ulrich in, sending his home run to the left field wall, pushing Wagner's lead to 8-1 before the inning came to a close. Ulrich and senior Mateo Matthews were the other Seahawks with a multi-hit game, adding a pair apiece.
In the fourth, three more runs were tacked on to make it an 11-1 Wagner lead, one the Seahawks just had to protect through the seventh for the run rule to come into effect. Toporek settled in, Wagner added one more in the fifth and then three more in the sixth and that was all it took.
Game 2
Game two was less explosive, with CCSU making a late push to ultimately win 7-3.
The Seahawks were able to match the offensive production, with both teams logging 12 hits, but CCSU finished with seven RBIs to Wagner's three. Both teams stranded ten runners. Pitching was also big for both teams, with the Wagner staff striking out seven total Blue Devils.
Going the overwhelming majority of the game for a 7.1-inning outing, CCSU starter Vincent Borghese was most efficient via the strikeout, finishing with nine strikeouts compared to four foul outs and eight groundouts. Wagner had the runners but could not make enough contact to push them across.
The veterans, again, came up big at the plate for the Seahawks. Torres was 3-of-4 for the second game as well, walking once and accounting for two of the team's three RBIs. Ulrich was 3-of-4 with a run scored. Matthews had the third RBI on a 1-of-3 game where he walked once and scored a run.
All three of those runs for the Seahawks came in the third, starting with an RBI single from Matthews, then Torres sent a two-RBI double into right field that was misplayed by the right fielder, allowing the two runs to scored and putting Torres at third.
Wagner held that 3-0 lead through the fourth, then the Blue Devils added two runs in the fifth to threaten. The Seahawks held on through the sixth, but four more runs from CCSU in the seventh did too much damage.
Next up, the two teams face off for the series on Saturday, May 3 for a 3 p.m. rubber game.
