NORWICH, Conn. –  The LIU Brooklyn baseball team beat Wagner 8-5, to win the school's first-ever Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament Championship at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. Saturday.

The Blackbirds (31-24) won three consecutive game to earn the NEC's automatic berth to the NCAA Baseball Championship, which begins at regional sites next Friday, June 1. The NCAA selections on the Road to Omaha will be announced on Memorial Day, Monday, May 28 at noon on ESPNU.
 
The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth inning, when the Blackbirds broke through for four runs. With the bases loaded, junior Gregory Vaughn Jr. rocketed a single to left field to drive in senior Andrew Turner from third base and junior Edward Modica from second for a 2-0 lead. Then after junior Luis Arias stole third base, his middle infield partner Anthony Warneke hit a sacrifice fly to left field to plate Arias for a 3-0 score. On the very next play, junior Joe Mercadante slammed a single up the middle to bring home Vaughn for the fourth run of the inning.
 
In the top of the sixth frame, with two runners on base, Warneke hit a single through the right side to score senior Dom Paiotti to extend the lead to 5-0. Then following a Warneke steal, Mercadante hit another ball back through the box to score Vaughn and Warneke for an insurmountable 7-0 lead.
 
The Seahawks finally got on the board with a four-run bottom of the seventh, capped off by a Phil Capra single to right field that scored the final two runs to make the score 7-4. Wagner added an unearned run in the bottom of the eighth.
 
LIU's leadoff batter Andrew Smith earned his first RBI of the game in the top of the eighth, scoring Mercadante, who got on via a fielder's choice.
 
Sophomore Jackson Svete (4-2) got the championship start for the Blackbirds, pitching a shutout for the first five innings with two strikeouts, before giving up four runs in the bottom of the sixth. His classmate Rob Griswold came out of the bullpen for the next three innings, before yielding to Mike Kreiger, who earned the save, despite giving up a run in the ninth inning.
 
No. 2 Wagner advanced to the championship game with a 6-1 win over No. 1 Bryant to earn a rematch with the Blackbirds. The two New York City rivals faced off in game one of the NEC Tournament, with LIU coming out on top, 2-1.
 
NOTES FROM NORWICH
The Blackbirds had eight hits in the game, with Smith, Mercadante and Warneke getting two a piece, with Mercadante leading the team with three RBIs. Vaughn and Warneke had two runs batted in a piece, with Vaughn also scoring two runs in his MVP performance … The Blackbirds are now on a season long seven-game winning streak and have raised their program record wins total to 31 with Saturday's victory.
 
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
LIU had five players on the all-tournament team: Patrick Clyne, Rob Griswold, Andrew Turner, Joe Mercadante,  and the Most Valuable Player, Gregory Vaughn Jr.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES
The Blackbirds will be making the program's third appearance overall in the NCAA Baseball Championship with the two previous appearances back in 1968 and 1972. LIU Brooklyn has won the NEC regular season title twice, in 2000 and before a conference tournament was held in 1990.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS
THURSDAY, MAY 24
Game 1: No.1 Bryant 21, No. 4 Mount St. Mary's 6
Game 2: No. 3 LIU BROOKLYN 2, No. 2 Wagner 1
FRIDAY, MAY 25
Game 3: No. 2 Wagner 3, No. 4 Mount St. Mary's 1 | Mount eliminated
Game 4: No. 3 LIU BROOKLYN 13,  No. 1 Bryant 4
SATURDAY, MAY 26
Game 5: No. 2 Wagner 6, No. 1 Bryant 1 | Bryant eliminated
Game 6: No. 3 LIU BROOKLYN 8, No. 2 Wagner 5