EASTON, Pa. — Wagner won 15-11 on the road at Lafayette in its first of a pair of midweek games, tying its season high single-game hit total of 17 in the win.
The two teams battled early, each scoring across the first two frames with the Leopards taking a 10-7 lead at the end of the fourth, but the Seahawks answered with a three-run fifth and scored across the final five innings while holding Lafayette scoreless in four of the last five.
Junior Christopher Collina earns the win, now 2-0 this season after 3.1 innings pitched where he allowed four runs and struck out three. Sophomore Frankie Nardo closed out the game for Wagner, going 4.0 innings and allowing just one run on one hit.
Six of the nine Wagner batters to record a hit had multiple, with senior Nicholas Mazzotta leading the way with a 4-for-6 day where he scored three runs and finished with three RBIs. Junior Diego Tavarez and freshman Alex Kerr, in his second start of the season, each had three RBIs as well.
Wagner jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first, scoring those six runs on six hits. A pair of singles led off the inning, then an out later, a walk was followed by a pair of back-to-back two-RBI doubles to put the Seahawks on the board 4-0, then another single had runners in scoring position for Kerr, who sent a two-RBI single into left field.
Lafayette tacked on two runs in the first on Wagner's starter, redshirt junior Ethan Moran, but the offense backed him up in the second, scoring a run on a pair of hits. Moran exited in the second after a pair of hits and a pair of walks, with Collina taking over and allowing another run to score before ending the inning on a fly out. Wagner led 7-6 heading into the third.
The Leopards took a 9-7 lead in the third on a two-RBI single, but that would be the last true life their offense would show. They added another solo run in the fourth, then Wagner answered with a three-run fifth that featured four stolen bases.
Junior Josiah Ross pinch hit to lead off, hit by a pitch and stealing second with junior Christian Knight at the plate, who reached on an error. A double steal had both runners in scoring position for Kerr, who sent a sacrifice fly to right field to score Ross. Graduate Lukas Torres was hit by a pitch and stole second, then both runners scored on a two-RBI double from Tavarez to tie the game at 10.
Mazzotta led off the sixth with a single, moving to scoring position when Ross was hit by yet another pitch, scoring on an RBI single from Torres to take the lead back for the Seahawks. Wagner did not trail from that point forward. Mazzotta pushed in the next run on an RBI double in the seventh, scoring junior Dylan Immel from first.
Wagner scored again in the eighth, with leadoff hitter sophomore Andrew Marquis reached on an error, then moving to second on a hit batter and third via sacrifice bunt from Torres. A sacrifice fly from sophomore Matt Sutera ultimately scored Marquis.
Junior Joseph Mennella hit a solo home run to lead off the ninth, then Lafayette put three Seahawks on via single, hit batter and walk. The Leopards went to the bullpen for a pitching change, but a wild pitch allowed the Seahawks to score their final run of the day.
Next up, the Seahawks head to take on Princeton on Wednesday, April 22 for a 3 p.m. EDT first pitch as the second half of a pair of midweek games.
