BOX SCORE

Rock Hill, SC - Wagner (0-3) dropped the third and final game of the Seahawks' season-opening series at Winthrop (7-0) by a 16-4 count at the Winthrop Ballpark. 

Senior Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) led Wagner for the third-straight game on offense, going 2-4 with two doubles and two RBI. For the game, the Green & White recorded 10 hits with junior Jared Gruccio (Landisville, NJ / Buena Regional) and sophomore Tommy Higgins (Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) each also notching two hits. 

Winthrop struck first with a run in the first and three in the second, taking the early 4-0 lead. 

Wagner dented the scoreboard for the first time in the top of the third with a single run. Junior Kevin McDonnell (Bristol, CT / Avon Old Farms) singled with one out and senior Damian Csakai (Freehold Township, NJ / Freehold Township) followed with a base knock. Gruccio brought McDonnell home with the third-straight Seahawk single. 

The Green & White cut the deficit to 4-2 in the top of the fourth inning. Avella smoked a lead-off double to left field and advanced to third on a Seth Boyd (Jr., Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) single. Avella scored on a wild pitch on the ensuing play.

The powerful Eagles offense responded with five runs in the bottom of the fourth, pushing the lead out to 9-2.  Wagner countered with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning on a two-run double off the bat of Avella, plating Csakai and Gruccio.

From that point on the Seahawk offense was silenced, notching just two singles over the final four frames while not advancing a runner past first base. 

The Eagles added one run in the seventh and six unearned runs in the eight, providing the final 16-4 tally.

Matt Thielepape went 3-5 with three RBI while Tyler Donavan was 3-3 with two runs, pacing an 18-hit Winthrop attack.

Wade Newman (2-0) collected the win, allowing four runs on eight hits over 5.0 innings while striking out six and not issuing any walks. Junior RHP Dale Hering (Montgomery, NJ / Belle Mead) lost his Seahawk debut, allowing four runs, three earned, over 1.1 innings. He struck

Wagner will return to action on Saturday, March 6 at 7 pm when the Seahawks head to Jacksonville to square off with the reigning Atlantic Sun Champion Dolphins.