UNION, N.J. — Wagner exploded for its highest run total on Saturday, putting up 13 runs on 14 hits for its highest scoring game of the season and earning the first conference win of the season in a 13-6 takedown of FDU.
Junior Dylan Immel had a monster performance, hitting three doubles and a single on the way to a 4-of-5 day where he accounted for five of the Seahawks' 12 RBIs.
Senior Nicholas Mazzotta, hitting above Immel in the six hole had four RBIs of his own, logging a two-RBI single in the third, a sacrifice fly when he came back up in the fourth, adding an RBI in the fifth.
Redshirt sophomore Joseph Steventon was the starting pitcher for the Seahawks, his first start since arriving on Grymes Hill. He was effective across 6.1 innings pitched, facing the minimum in the first and fourth. He held the Knights scoreless through four innings, with the offense giving him an eight-run cushion in the meantime. A three-run fifth for the Knights broke Steventon's shutout but he had the run protection to stay in the game, finishing with four runs, four strikeouts and a pair of walks in 109 pitches.
The team did not score in the first but went on a four-inning scoring stretch from the second through the fifth, putting up one, three, four and three across each of those frames.
Relieving Steventon when the Knights, sophomore Frankie Nardo went the final 2.2 innings to close the game and just missed a save opportunity by one out, allowing two runs on two hits, protecting the lead and finishing at 41 pitches.
The Seahawks got on the board in the second with a runner scoring from third on a wild pitch for a 1-0 lead, then in the third, a one-out walk to junior Diego Tavarez put a runner on, followed by a single from junior Joseph Mennella. A fielders' choice put Tavarez on third, then a steal had two runners in scoring position. A single from senior Nicholas Mazzotta pushed both runs in, then Immel's first double of the day scoring Mazzotta from second to give the Seahawks a 4-0 lead.
In the fifth, a pair of singles put two runners on for Tavarez, who put a double down the left field line to score a run. A walk to Mennella loaded the bases and forced the Knights to make a pitching change. Leading 5-0, sophomore Matt Sutera was not fooled and put an RBI single over the second baseman's head, then Mazzotta's sacrifice fly made it a 7-0 Wagner lead. Next up in what in a string of what ultimately became nine Seahawks to hit in the fourth, Immel put an RBI single into centerfield to score the eighth run of the day.
Two one-out walks, a fielders choice and another for the Seahawks brought more traffic on the base paths in the fifth that pushed FDU to go to the bullpen once again, then Sutera again took advantage. He added an RBI single, Mazzotta walked in a run, then Immel stepped up to the plate for the fourth time. He hit a bases-clearing double to score three runs before trying to stretch the hit to a triple, tagged out on a close relay to third base to end the inning with Wagner leading 13-3.
A single run scoring for FDU nullified any potential for the 10-run rule to be called into effect and end things early, so the Seahawks played on and held the Knights scoreless in the seventh and eighth before ultimately giving up two more runs in the top of the ninth.
With the offensive output, the Seahawks have set a new season high in runs scored (13), hits (14), RBIs (12), doubles (5) and hit batters (4).
Looking for an NEC series win, the Seahawks take on FDU in a noon game, back at Jim Hynes '63 Stadium on Sunday, March 8.
