UNION, N.J. — Wagner was able to play the FDU Knights to ten innings in game three on Sunday, but ultimately fell 8-6 in ten innings to drop its first NEC series of the season.
The Seahawks scored their six runs on nine hits, logging six RBIs and drawing seven walks.
Junior Joseph Mennella continues to put balls out of the park, hitting a three-run shot in the bottom of the first to put Wagner ahead 3-0 early. Held off the board from the second through the fourth, the Seahawks put up their fourth run of the day in the fifth, with sophomore Matt Sutera working a bases-loaded walk to push in a run to give his team a 4-3 lead.
Mennella finished his day reaching base all four times he came to the plate, adding a six-pitch walk and pair of intentional walks. Graduate Lukas Torres had a pair of walks as well, taking a free first base in the first and the fifth. Junior Diego Tavarez finished 2-of-5, with junior Dylan Immel joining Tavarez with a pair of hits of his own to go 2-of-4 on the day.
The Seahawks, continuing their trend of pushing opposing starters early, hit well off FDU starter Drew Cisney and ended his day with 3.2 innings pitched, scoring three earned runs and working a pair of walks while pushing his pitch count to 64.
A single and steal of second from Immel in the sixth had him in scoring position when sophomore Jayden Alvarez stepped up to the plate. Seeing the ball well in his second season, Alvarez continued making contact and sent a single to right center to score Immel.
Needing leverage late in the game, Wagner pulled in senior Nicholas Mazzotta from shortstop to pitch, where he was able to induce an inning-ending double play after the Seahawks had allowed the Knights to score a fourth run, shrinking the lead to 5-4.
Wagner answered in the eighth, with Mazzotta walking, advancing on a bunt then stealing third before scoring on a sacrifice fly from junior Omar Carreras as a pinch hitter doing his job well. The Knights, ultimately, put up a pair of runs in the ninth to force extra innings and scored two more in the tenth to take the game and the series.
Senior Justin Roitman got his first start as a Seahawk, putting up a much-needed 6.0 innings of work where he allowed FDU to just score four runs across 28 batters faced. Roitman struck out four and finished his day at 100 pitches, two weekends after throwing 83 at UC Riverside.
Across a weekend where only senior Colin Trizuto was a known starter for the Seahawks, redshirt sophomore Joseph Steventon and Roitman went deep into each of their starts, keeping pressure off the bullpen. However the rotation looks going forward, the starters stepped up in a major way against the Knights.
Next up, the Seahawks will have their first midweek game of 2026, heading to Piscataway, New Jersey on Tuesday, March 10 for a 3 p.m. EDT game.
