CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — Playing a pair of games due to inclement weather coming into the area, Wagner fell in its final two games of opening weekend to Virginia.
Wagner fell 25-10 in the first game of the day, then took a 31-9 loss to close out the series. Head coach Craig Noto was able to take advantage of the 18 innings of play, with a number of newcomers making their debut for the Seahawks.
Game 1
A pair of freshmen pitchers started for Wagner, with lefty Chase Brandt getting the nod for game two of the series. He went two innings, then handed the ball off to senior Justin Roitman, who went 2.1 innings.
Junior Josiah Ross led off for the Seahawks as designated hitter, going 1-of-2 in the game with an RBI. Graduate centerfielder Lukas Torres was 1-for-2 with a walk, scoring Wagner's first runs of the game on a wild pitch in the fourth. The game got away from the Cavaliers that inning and the Seahawks were able to chip away at what had been a seven-run lead, scoring four more runs on an RBI single, a bases-loaded walk, a sacrifice fly and a fielding error.
In the sixth, junior Leo Doyle hit his first career home run, a two-run shot that went 372 feet over the left field fence.
A leadoff double for freshman Derek Patrissi marked his first hit as a Seahawk and he advanced to third on a throwing error, scoring on a sacrifice fly from fellow freshman Jeremy Haigh. Junior Jackson Blakley, who had reached on the error and stolen second, advanced to third and scored on a single from sophomore Jayden Alvarez. Back up in the seventh after his homer in the sixth, Doyle again homered to left field to bring Wagner's run total up to 10.
Patrissi finished the game with a walk and a double for his first two collegiate plate appearances. Doyle was the only batter with multiple hits in the game, with the team finishing with eight total hits. Patrissi, Brandt, Finnegan and freshman Brendan McLoughlin each made their collegiate debuts in game two.
Junior Christopher Collina closed the game out for the Seahawks, throwing the final 2.0 innings and striking out three of the nine batters he faced.
Game 2
In the series finale, freshman Gavin Townsend was named the starter, going 2.2 innings in his first college outing. He was relieved by redshirt junior Jeff Tiw.
Sophomore Matt Sutera kicked things off with a bang, logging his first hit of the season with a grand slam to left field in the first inning to put the Seahawks ahead 4-0. Virginia answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the frame, then Wagner tacked on two more in the second.
Graduate Lukas Torres was back to the top of the batting order, with senior Nicholas Mazzotta batting second. The shortstop finished his fay 1-of-3 with a run scored and a walk. Junior Diego Tavarez started as the designated hitter, going 1-of-1 with a walk.
An RBI single from McRae pushed Wagner to seven runs in the sixth, down 20-7 after a scoring run from the Cavaliers. Immel added a two-RBI double in the ninth to put the Seahawks' total at nine runs to close out the game. Immel finished the game at 3-of-4 with two RBIs and a walk. McRae was 2-of-5 with an RBI.
The pitching staff, facing a tough Virginia lineup, gave up 17 earned runs and struck out six. Wagner's lineup logged 10 hits and walked 10 times.
Townsend made his collegiate debut with the start, with Tiw, Vargas, Moran and Lowe making their debut for the Seahawks.
Next up, the Seahawks head to the west coast for a weekend series at UC Riverside. The opener will be Friday, Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. PST, a 7 p.m. EST first pitch.
