AUGUSTA, N.J. — Wagner swept the Norfolk State Spartans on Sunday, taking a 12-1 win in seven innings to win a second consecutive NEC series.
The Seahawks are now 12-6 in conference play with the series sweep, the team's second at home after taking three games from Le Moyne at the end of March. This is Wagner's second run-rule victory of the weekend after taking a 15-2 win in the opener.
Senior Justin Roitman gets the win, now 3-0 this season after allowing a single run and walking two Spartans while striking out eight. The one run allow marks his lowest of the season while also tying his longest outing of the season, matching 6.0 innings pitched at New Haven on March 29.
Graduate Lukas Torres was 3-for-4 to finish his weekend with eight hits in the leadoff spot, scoring a run while leading the Seahawks' hitters as one of four to have a multi-hit Sunday. Junior Joseph Mennella, sophomore Matt Sutera and freshman Brendan McLoughlin each finished with a pair of hits and a pair of RBIs. Junior Diego Tavarez was 1-for-2 and walked twice for two of what finished at five walks for the Seahawks.
Sophomore William Grayson, throwing the seventh inning to secure the run-rule remained in place, struck out one Spartan while facing the minimum to end the game. Roitman and Grayson commanded the strike zone throughout, walking just two Spartans and combining for nine strikeouts. Down their leadoff man in shortstop Jayden Israel, Norfolk State was only able to muster three hits, lacking the base runners to keep the game competitive.
An RBI double from Tavarez scored Wagner's first run of the game in the first, then an RBI double from McLoughlin and a sacrifice fly from sophomore Jayden Alvarez put the Seahawks up 3-0. Four runs scored in the third with two outs, giving Roitman a seven-run cushion to work with while the offense pushed closer to the ten-run lead needed to go home early.
A bases-loaded walk for Sutera pushed in the eighth run in the fourth, then Wagner exploded again in the fifth. Three one-out singles had one run scoring, then a passed ball put two Seahawks in scoring position for a wild play for Mennella — a single into centerfield was badly misplayed by Norfolk State, allowing two runs to score and Mennella to come home on the throw, putting Wagner up 12-0 in dramatic fashion.
The Spartans got on the board in the sixth with a single run on a pair of hits to break the shutout, but the little offense generated came too late in the game. Grayson entered in the seventh and retired his three batters in order to end the game.
Next up, the Seahawks head into a stretch of four consecutive road games, heading to West Point, New York on Tuesday, April 14 to take on Army in a 3:35 p.m. EDT midweek game before a trip to Stonehill for a weekend NEC series.
