March 22, 2008
Box Score
Rock Hill, SC - Freshman LHP Jack Rice (Middlesex, NJ / Immaculata) threw 8.0 solid innings of two-run ball while the Wagner offense capitalized on two Winthrop errors and a pass ball, scoring four unearned runs in a 5-2 win over Winthrop in the second game of a four-game set at the Winthrop Ballpark. The Seahawks are now 5-7 while the Eagles fall to 6-15.
After the Eagles scored the first run of the game, Wagner struck for four runs in the third. Winthrop would get on back in the sixth before the Seahawks added an insurance run in the ninth to account for the scoring.
Rice struck out three and yielded just six hits while walking a batter in the longest outing by a Wagner starting pitcher this season. For the year, Rice is now 2-0 with a sparkling 0.98 ERA over 18.1 innings. He has also struck out 11 while walking just three and limiting hitters to a .172 average.
Junior RHP Andrew Huebner (Hatfield, PA / North Penn) entered in the ninth and picked up his first save of the year with a strikeout of pinch-hitter Aaron Bonomi.
Winthrop's Bryn Henderson singled to lead off the first before moving to second on a sacrifice. After stealing third, he scored on a wild pitch.
Eagles starter Hamilton Bennett retired the first six batters of the game in order before running into trouble in the third.
Sophomore Kevin Payne (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) singled to lead off the stanza. After a strikeout, freshman Jared Gruccio (Landisville, NJ / Buena Regional) reached on an errant throw by the second baseman to give Wagner a second-and-third one out situation. Sophomore Damian Csakai (Freehold, NJ / Freehold) followed with a double to center, driving in the pair to give the Green & White their first lead of the series at 2-1. Csakai then stole third for his ninth swipe of the year in as many chances. The speedy centerfielder scored on a Chris Drechsel (Jr., Cranford, NJ / Cranford) fielder's choice, beating the second baseman's throw home. Freshman Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) continued the big inning with a single to left field. Drechsel and Lucas moved to second-and-third on a wild pitch. Sophomore Vin Avella (Matatawan, NJ / CBA) capped Wagner's four-run frame with a RBI groundout, plating Drechsel.
After yielding a hit to the first batter of the game, Rice settled down allowing just two hits, one that was erased on a double play, over the first 5.0 innings while needing just 55 pitches (39 strikes).
Winthrop got one of the runs back in the sixth with a two-out rally. Bryn Henderson doubled to right field with one out. After Rice got Eddie Tisdale for his first strikeout of the game, Kevin Nolan singled through the left side to plate Henderson. Rice responded by getting the clean-up hitter, Eddie Rohan, to ground out to third on the next play, exiting the inning with a 4-2 lead.
Neither team would threaten until the eighth when Henderson reached base on an error. Tisdale singled Henderson over to second. And after a meeting at the mound, Rice coaxed Nolan into a routine fly to Csakai in center.
Wagner capped the scoring in the ninth with an insurance run. Sophomore Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) walked to lead off the inning. After an out, freshman Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) delivered a pinch-hit single through the right side to advance McDonnell to third. Boyd moved to second on a wild pitch, before a pass ball allowed McDonnell to score and Boyd to advance to third.
Bennett (0-5) was the tough-luck loser, giving up four runs, one earned, on four hits and a walk while striking out six in a career-best 8.1 innings of work.
The two teams will meet for an Easter Day match-up tomorrow at 3 pm.
