AUGUSTA, N.J. — Wagner won its series over Norfolk State in dramatic fashion on Saturday, taking a 3-2, walk-off win in the ninth for its first walk-off win of 2026.
Wagner scored its three runs on five hits and one Norfolk State error, the team's lowest hit total in a victory this season. Junior Keith Davis earns the win, now 2-1 this season, after throwing the final two innings. Redshirt sophomore Joseph Steventon went 7.0 innings of the one-inning game, striking out five before Davis entered in relief.
The game was tied at 1-1 through seven, with the Seahawks and Spartans putting up solo runs in the second and fourth, respectively.
Norfolk State loaded the bases in the eighth with one out via a single, walk and hitter batter after Davis entered to pitch, pushing its second run of the game on a sacrifice fly. Davis was able to strand a pair of Spartans to end the inning and put the game back in the hands of the Wagner offense.
In the bottom of the eighth, a leadoff walk and stolen base put graduate Lukas Torres on second, then two outs later, a hit-and-run setup had Torres scoring from second on an RBI single from junior Joseph Mennella to tie the game back up at two.
Davis got through the ninth unscathed to give Wagner three outs to work with, then junior Evan McRae was the first Seahawk to reach with a one-out walk. Junior Omar Carerras pinch hit for freshman Brendan McLoughlin and hit a ball to shallow centerfield that fell between two Spartans, putting Carreras on first.
Wagner executed a double steal with junior Jackson Blakley pinch running for Carerras, putting McRae at third and Blakley at second. With sophomore Jayden Alvarez at the plate, a balk on Norfolk State pitcher Yasseel Samboy had to be briefly discussed by the umpire crew before McRae was sent home.
The win marks Wagner's first walk-off win of 2026 after the Seahawks fell via walk off to Maryland, New Haven in two games and CCSU.
Torres, Mennella, McLoughlin and Carreras were Wagner's batters who recorded a hit in the game. McRae also walked twice. Junior Diego Tavarez was hitless but worked two of the team's six walks. Wagner had to be aggressive on the base paths to get its runs across, with McRae logging three of what finished as seven stolen bases for the Seahawks.
Wagner returns to Skylands Stadium on Sunday for a 1 p.m. EDT series finale, looking to sweep the Spartans after earning a second consecutive NEC series.
