The Maritime College baseball team bounced back after a tough loss in the first game of a doubleheader and dominated the College of Staten Island by a score of 10-1 in game two.
In the opening game, both teams held strong on the defensive end for the first four innings as neither team could put a run up on the board. However, in the bottom of the fifth the Dolphins finally broke through the Privateers starter,
A.J. Ammirati (Queens, N.Y./Construction), and put together a four-run rally.
Maritime wasn't ready to let Staten Island take control of the game though as
Phil Russo (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) singled to shortstop to score
Matt Eng (Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) from third base and register the first run of the day for the Privateers. With the game in striking distance in the top of the seventh,
Antonio Diaz (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) got the rally started with a lead-off walk. After
Nick McTighe (Merrick, N.Y./Holy Trinity) drew a second-straight walk,
Ryan Rockhill (Eastchester, NY/Tuckahoe) singled to center field to load the bases with nobody out. The Dolphins pitcher made an error on the following play to make it a 4-2 game with the bases still loaded and nobody out. Eng couldn't come up clutch in the next at-bat, but
Joe Scerra (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) singled to third base to make it a 4-3 lead. Unfortunately, the rally ended there for Maritime as a double-play ended their hopes at a comeback win.
Despite the disappointing loss in the opening game, the Privateers came out strong in the second part of the doubleheader as they scored four runs in the first inning. Scerra highlighted the hot start for Maritime with a two-RBI single, while Russo and
Adam Mosca (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) also picked up RBIs.
Ryan Ragone (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac) got the start on the mound for Maritime and struck out three batters in the first two innings as well as not allowing a baserunner. In the top of the fourth, Ragone got another insurance run from the offense as
Jake Vera (Plainview, N.Y./Bethpage) doubled to center field to score
Travis Zurita (Ozone Park, N.Y./Poly Prep) from second base. After allowing his only earned run of the game in the bottom of the fourth, Ragone found his rhythm again in the fifth and sixth inning as he struck out two more batters and kept the Dolphins off the scoreboard.
Maritme put an exclamation point on the win in the final two innings as they added five more runs on seven hits to extend their lead to 10-1. Ragone picked up his first win of the season in the start as he pitched six innings and only allowed four hits while striking out seven. Offensively, Vera finished 3-5 in the clean-up spot with three RBIs, while Eng, Russo, and Mosca all tallied two hits each as well.
"We obviously wanted to sweep the doubleheader today, but I'm proud of the way we immediately bounced back after a tough first game," said head coach
Charlie Barbieri. "I'm hoping we can continue the momentum into another tough doubleheader tomorrow against Baruch and that we can come out of the weekend 3-1."
Following the doubleheader at Baruch tomorrow beginning at noon, the Privateers will finally have their home opener on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. against Lehman College.
