Bell’s Walk-Off Single Leads Long Island Past Wagner

(Box Score)

4/7/07 -- Senior second baseman Trey Bell (Georgetown, Del.) hit a bases-loaded, two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to give the Long Island University baseball team its first conference win of the season, a 7-6 victory over Wagner. The Blackbirds avoided a sweep of the four-game series with the win. Freshman Adam Sauter (Perry Hall, Md.), making just his third career start, pitched superbly for Long Island.

With the score tied, 6-6, rightfielder Anthony Amatucci (Toms River, N.J.) drew a lead-off walk off Wagner’s Thomas Weston. Amatucci advanced to third after a pair of wild pitches. Centerfielder Johnnie Neckar (Fort Myers, Fla.) walked and Weston was pulled in favor of Dave Gerhardt. After Neckar stole second, Gerhardt got catcher Danny Etkin (Brooklyn, N.Y.) to strike out for the first out. Shortstop Dan Pirillo (Marlboro, N.Y.) then hit a hard shot down the third-base line which was gloved by Vin Avella, who rifled the ball home in time to get Amatucci.

Kevin Rush then came in to pitch and hit third baseman Gerard Tingos (Staten Island, N.Y.) with a pitch, loading the bases for Bell. Bell worked a 1-2 count before lacing Rush’s offering into center field to win the game. It was the fifth RBI of the season for Bell, who finished the game 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.

Sauter pitched well, allowing only one earned run through his first seven innings of work. He ran into some trouble in the eighth and was charged with two more runs when he was pulled in favor of John Dooley (Deer Park, N.Y.), who allowed two inherited runners to score. Sauter gave up a leadoff double with Long Island leading 6-2 to start the eighth. He got the next hitter to ground out, but walked designated hitter Ed Sudol and was pulled from the game.

Sauter allowed seven hits and three walks over 7 1/3 innings, striking out five. Dooley allowed an RBI single to the first batter he faced, Kevin McDonnell, to cut the Long Island lead to 6-3. Then with two outs and the bases loaded, Dooley gave up a two-run double to centerfielder Damian Csakai. Senior Robbie Rowen (Rosendale, N.Y.) relieved Dooley and got shortstop Joey DiGeronimo to ground out to end the inning.

Rowen did not fare much better in the top of the ninth, as he allowed a run to score and blew the save opportunity. After a walk, a single and a fielding error by Tingos loaded the bases, Sudol hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game, 6-6.

The Blackbirds (6-16, 1-3 Northeast Conference) got on the board in the first inning when Rowen, who started the game in right field, hit a one-out double down the right-field line to score Bell. Long Island got two more runs in the fourth on an RBI groundout by designated hitter James Adamo (Paramus, N.J.) and an RBI single by Neckar.

Long Island added a three-spot in the fifth. Tingos hit a one-out single to score Etkin, who reached on an error. With two outs, leftfielder Marcus Wynn (Plainfield, N.J.) stroked a single to plate two more.

Rowen (2-0) picked up the win for the Blackbirds, while Weston (1-1) took the loss for the Seahawks, who fell to 7-16 (3-1).

Long Island will return to action with a road game on Tuesday, April 10, taking on New York Tech at 3:00 p.m.