Box Score

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. (May 2, 2014) – The Maritime baseball season came to a close on Friday afternoon as the fifth-seeded Privateers dropped their Skyline Conference Tournament first round matchup to the fourth-seeded St. Joseph's Golden Eagles at the Jackie Robinson Athletic Complex by the score of 3-0.
 
Senior starting pitcher Nick Sarna (Massapequa, N.Y./St. Anthony's) tossed 94 pitches on the afternoon and yielded just one earned run over eight innings. The eight complete innings was just the second time in Sarna's career that he had recorded 24 outs on the mound, tying a mark set back during his freshman season against Yeshiva on March 30, 2011.
 
As the road team the Privateers were sent up to bat first in the top of the inning, as senior Tom Bauer (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) led off the frame with an infield single off of St. Joseph's starter Dan Diblasi. The Golden Eagle senior hurler then got the next two batters to pop out before getting freshman Brian McLaughlin (Massapequa, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) to ground out to leave Bauer stranded on base.
 
Sarna went out for the bottom of the first inning and retired the first two batters on four pitches, however a fielding error kept the inning alive for the Golden Eagles, allowing St. Joseph's to capitalize. The next batter singled, followed by sophomore Joseph Calabrese collecting what proved to be the biggest hit of the game as he launched a double to right field to plate the first two runs of the game.
 
Maritime got two runners on base in the next half inning, however lacked the big hit needed to bring a run across offensively as Diblasi got out of another jam. A leadoff double in the bottom of the second inning followed by a groundout allowed St. Joseph's to put it's third run just 90 feet away from the plate. With the leadoff batter at the plate, Sarna threw a pitch that skidded off the plate and between the legs of junior Matthew Sollin (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) to allow St. Joseph's to score its third run of the game.
 
Both Sarna and Diblasi exchanged zeros through the fifth inning, with neither offense able to get much going at the dish. In the top of the sixth, Maritime again threatened in the frame as junior Joe Longo (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) connected on a one-out single followed by McLaughlin sending a double down the left field line to put a pair in scoring position. Junior Albert Doerbecker (Point Lookout, N.Y./Long Beach) reached as the St. Joseph's third baseman dropped a line drive to load the bases with one down.
 
Up next was Sollin, who Diblasi got to bloop a shallow popup to the third baseman for the second out of the inning. Diblasi then retired sophomore Bruce Tyler (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) on three pitches, as the Privateer first baseman chased an upstairs pitch.
 
Sarna ran into brief trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning but was able to get out of the frame while stranding two runners on base. In the top of the eighth, Longo reached on a one-out error followed by McLaughlin reaching on a bloop single down the left field line. The threat was short lived as Diblasi got Doerbecker to ground into a double play to again short-circuit Maritime's offensive opportunity.
 
Sarna got the Golden Eagles out in order on nine pitches in the bottom of the eighth to give his offense a chance heading to the bottom of the ninth. Diblasi retired all Sollin, Tyler, and freshman Chris Stewart (Bethpage, N.Y./Chaminade), as he completed the shutout while throwing 98 pitches on the afternoon.
 
In the end, Maritime ended up stranding eight runners on base while St. Joseph's left seven Golden Eagles aboard.
 
Picking up his third win on the year was Diblasi (3-5) while scattering seven hits over nine innings and walking just one while hitting one batter. Sarna took the loss (3-3) as he allowed three runs (one earned) one eight hits, while walking three (two intentional).
 
Maritime concludes its season with a 13-19 overall record, while qualifying for the Skyline Conference Tournament for the third time in as many seasons. St. Joseph's (17-18) advances forward into the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will take on top-seeded Old Westbury later on Friday afternoon.