STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The Sacred Heart baseball team was swept in a doubleheader for the first time this season on Thursday afternoon at R.C.B Ballpark, as Wagner broke open game one with a four-run eighth before pulling away for a 6-1 victory in the nightcap to complete the sweep.

Despite the result, SHU still holds a four-game cushion on third place Fairleigh Dickinson in the Northeast Conference standings with six league games remaining. The Pioneers are now 17-8 in conference play and 27-21 overall.

Wagner on the other hand is attempting to make a late charge into the NEC Tournament, as the fifth place Seahawks move two games behind fourth place Central Connecticut State with a 10-16 conference mark. 

With impending rain looming for tomorrow, a decision to cancel Friday's games was made today and the two teams will instead complete their four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning a 12 p.m.

Game One (2-7)

Starter James Taubl gave up just one earned in six innings, but a Pioneer error in the bottom of the sixth contributed to breaking a 1-1 tie and would lead to the eventual game-winning unearned run to come around. The error followed a leadoff infield single by Ben Ruta and gave Wagner runners on first and third with none away. The next two batters also reached, with Kyle Cala breaking the deadlock with a single to center and Brendan Benecke getting hit by a pitch to load the bases. Taubl did well to limit the damage from there and keep the Pioneers in the game, allowing only one more run as he induced a double play ball and then a ground out.

It took two innings but SHU attempted to capitalize in the eighth. Still down 3-1, Alex Perry singled with one out and moved up to second on a ground out. Jesus Medina brought the Pioneers within one with a two-out RBI single, ending Wagner starter Austin Goeke's day, and despite a passed ball that advanced Medina into scoring position, reliever Nathan Hunt was able to keep the lead in tact with an inning-ending fly out.

Sparked by this, Wagner (16-30) made sure to give itself some breathing room in the eighth, breaking the game open with four runs. Ben Ruta led off with his fourth hit of the day, and following a first out, Cala, Benecke and Sean Mazzio each record singles, the latter two of which both drove in a run.  After the second out, Kyle Brey capped the scoring with the fifth single of the frame, this one plating two and making the score 7-3.

Wagner had nearly half of its hits in the ninth, as the Seahawks outhit Sacred Heart 11-5. Ruta led the charge with his 4-4 day and was also the only player to score multiple runs. Cala was the only other player to record a multi-hit game, finishing 2-4 and adding a run and RBI.

The loss was the first of the year for Taubl (5-1), and despite surrendering the one earned run in six innings, remarkably his league-leading ERA slightly rose to 1.46. It was the fifth quality start of the season for the sophomore, who tied a season-high with four strikeouts and gave up six hits and two walks.

James Cooksey relieved Tabul in the seventh, and after a 1-2-3 frame, he ran into the trouble in the eighth.

Goeke opposed Taubl with the 7.2 innings of two-run ball to improve to 5-4 on the year. He allowed just five hits, struck out six and walked two.

Hunt earned his third save by retiring the four hitters he faced.

Wagner grabbed the lead in the first with back-to-back base knocks from Trey Nicosia and Ruta, a double and single, and would stay ahead until the fifth. PJ DeFilippo and Cody Doyle would open the fifth with back-to-back singles, the latter moving DeFilippo up to third, which permitted him to score the tying run on Perry's sacrifice fly.

Game Two (1-6)

Sacred Heart had at least two runners reach in five of seven at bats but could only come away with the one run as the Pioneers left nine on base, including six in scoring position.

It looked like it would be a different story early when SHU took its first lead of day in top of the first. Ted Shaw led off the game with a single and Medina drew a walk, leading to the decision to have Sullivan sacrifice them up, which he did successfully. Sorrento made the move pay off by delivering a sacrifice fly to put the Pioneers ahead early.

Wagner quickly erased its first deficit of the afternoon with two runs of its own in the bottom half, beginning with a leadoff single from Trey Nicosia. After moving up to third on a ground out and wild pitch, he would come in on Ruta's infield single. Phil Capra then put the Seahawks on top for good with a double to left center on a 0-2 pitch.

Sacred Heart looked as if it would have an answer when a Dan Schock single, Wagner error and Jake Friar sacrifice bunt again gave the Pioneers runners on second and third with one out. Things got even brighter when Alex Perry was hit by a pitch to load the bases, but in the blink of an eye the rally was put to rest when Shaw roped a liner that was caught by centerfielder, who then proceeded to double off a runner at second base for the third out.

After a scoreless bottom half again SHU threatened, this time with back-to-back singles from Medina and Sullivan. Again it was a double play killing any potential momentum before a pop up ended the inning.

Wagner looked to begin to pull away in the bottom half when Kyle Cala recorded an RBI single and another run came in on a wild pitch, but once more Sacred Heart put two runners on in the top of the fourth. Schock and Friar singles sandwiched a strikeout, and the Pioneers looked to cut the deficit in half on Perry's single up the middle, but again it was centerfielder Nicosia coming up with a huge assist, throwing out Schock at the plate. SHU still had life when a wild pitch gave the Pioneers runners on second and third, but this time it was strikeout that ended the threat.

A double play ball erased a leadoff single for Wagner in the bottom half, but four consecutive base hits would follow and ultimately put the game out of reach. Nick Mascelli began the flurry with a double before Nicosia, Ruta and Capra all singled to push the advantage to 6-1.

Those four all had two base knocks apiece, as did John Lynn. Mascelli and Ruta scored twice and Capra had two RBI's.

Mike Adams complimented the 12-hit game for Wagner by throwing a complete-game, working around nine SHU hits to limit the Pioneers to one run. He struck out six against just one walk and one hit batter.

Mike Lembo and Jackson Aldam each threw a scoreless inning of relief, with Lembo doing so for the eighth time in nine opportunities and Aldam doing so for the first time in his collegiate career.

In his first conference start of the season, Jeff Stoddard lasted just 2.2 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits before Baylor Sundahl gave up the final two runs on five hits in 1.1 frames.

All nine Sacred Heart starters reached base just once, highlighted by a two-hit game from Schock.