After splitting a doubleheader with the College of Staten Island by scores of 3-4 and 10-1 a day earlier, the Maritime College baseball team traveled to Baruch College on Sunday afternoon and almost came out with exactly the same result as they dropped the opening game 5-6 and then dominated the second game 12-1.
The Privateers struck first in the opening game as
Travis Zurita (Ozone Park, N.Y./Poly Prep) drew a walk and then was able to score off of smart base running as he advanced to second on a wild pitch and then scored on an error by the second baseman. Reigning Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Week
Niko Concha (Ballston Spa, NY/Saratoga) got the start on the mound for Maritime and picked up right where he left off by going 1, 2, 3 in the first two innings while striking out two batters.
In the top of third, Zurita was centered around Maritime's rally once again as he smashed a double to center field to score
Adam Mosca (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) and make it a 2-0 game. Two batters later,
Jake Vera (Plainview, N.Y./Bethpage) put the ball in play and forced an error by the third baseman to score Zurita and make it a 3-0 advantage for the Privateers. Unfortunately, the Bearcats closed the gap immediately as they put up two runs of their own in the bottom of the third.
Following a scoreless fourth inning, Mosca led off the top of the fifth with a single and then two batters later, Zurita scored him once again for a 4-2 lead. However, Baruch put together another rally and took their first lead of the game in the bottom half of the inning. Maritime answered right back in the top of the sixth as
Eric Wenig (Simi Valley, CA/Simi Valley) led off with a double and then
Nick McTighe (Merrick, N.Y./Holy Trinity) singled up the middle to score Wenig and tie the game. Once again, Baruch had the answer though as a triple in the bottom of the sixth gave them a one-run lead once again. A great defensive play by the Privateers prevented the play from being an inside the park home run, but they couldn't come up with the rally they needed in the final inning and fell 6-5.
Similar to yesterday's doubleheader, Maritime came out strong to start the second game and posted three runs in the first inning of the game. The Privateers didn't need hot bats for the quick start though as they drew four straight walks after the first batter to score their first run, while the second run came in on a balk. Wenig was the final run to cross the plate for Maritime as they scored three runs on zero hits in the opening frame.
Despite the strong start for the Privateers, the turning point of the game came in the bottom of the third inning. With the bases loaded and nobody out,
Joe Ragone (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac) took over on the mound and was able to pitch out of the jam without allowing a run. Ragone forced the first batter into a 3-2-3 double play and then struck out the next batter to keep the Bearcats off the board.
Maritime's offense responded to the big defensive stand by recording an impressive seven-run rally in the top of the fourth. Once again, the Privateers didn't need their bats to get the rally going as eight batters either drew a walk or were hit by a pitch. McTighe and Mosca recorded the lone hits in the seven-run inning for Maritime, recording two and one RBIs, respectively.
The Privateers went on to win the second game 12-1 and improve to 6-7 overall on the season. "It was definitely an unconventional win, but
Joe Ragone (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac) came up very clutch for us today by coming in and pitching out of that jam in the third," said head coach
Charlie Barbieri. "It's tough for any pitcher to come into that situation, but he showed a lot of poise as a freshman and it was the turning point of the game for us."
Maritime hosts Lehman College on Tuesday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. for their home opener.
