The Maritime College baseball team continued their strong 2021 campaign on Wednesday afternoon with a doubleheader split against Mount Saint Vincent. The Privateers used some late game heroics to take the first game 4-2, but couldn't keep that momentum going in game two and fell 16-6.
Ryan Ragone (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac) got the start in the first game and got Maritime off to a good start as he only allowed one hit through his first five innings and struck out eight batters. The Privateers offense backed up the strong pitching with two runs, one off a
Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY/Sachem North) home run in the first inning, and the other off an RBI single from
Vasilios Vafakos (Astoria, NY/Xavier) that scored
Adam Mosca (Massapequa Park, NY/Massapequa).
The 2-0 lead proved to not be enough for Maritime though as a two-run home run from the Dolphins in the top of the sixth tied the game up. Following the home run, relief pitcher
Shane Sullivan (Stewart Manor, NY/Chaminade) found himself in some trouble with two men on base and only one out. However, Sullivan dug his way out of the hole by forcing a pop and then a fly out to keep the game knotted at 2-2.
The defensive stand proved to be huge as the Privateers answered back with a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth.
Phil Russo (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph By The Sea) led off with a single and then stole second to get into scoring position. Later in the inning,
Jaden Shea (Severn, MD/Archbishop Spalding) stepped up to the plate with a full count, two outs, and runners on second and third. Shea delivered for Maritime with a ground ball to third that he was barely able to beat out the throw to first and allowed both Russo and
Jake Bernardi (Morris Park, NY/Fordham Prep) to score. The two-RBI single was the deciding factor in the game as Sullivan closed out Mount Saint Vincent in the top of the seventh.
Sulivan earned his fourth win of the season on the mound, while Russo and Shea led the offense by each going 2-3 at the plate. The win improved Maritime to 11-5 overall and 8-2 in Skyline play, still at the top of the leaderboard, but had one more game against the tough Dolphins squad next.
The second game of the doubleheader got off to a hot start for the Privateers as Russo delivered an opposite field grand slam in the bottom of the first. The grand slam gave Maritime a 4-1 advantage, and two innings later they were able to hold onto that three-run lead as Russo drew a bases loaded walk and then
Anthony Madigan (Greenlawn, NY/Harborfields) drove in another run with an RBI single. The Privateers took their 6-3 lead into the top of the fourth, but that's when the Dolphins were able to break the game open and run away with the 16-6 victory.
Vasilios Vafakos (Astoria, NY/Xavier) led the offense by going 3-4 at the plate, while
Ryan Rockhill (Eastchester, NY/Tuckahoe) and Russo each went 2-3, with Russo tallying five RBIs.
John Ohanian (Bellmore, NY/Bellmore JFK),
Ethan Peck (Manorville, NY/Eastport South Manor),
Joe Ragone (Yonkers, NY/Stepinac), and
Nick Schepens (Severna Park, MD/Archbishop Spalding) all combined to throw seven innings on the mound in the second game.
Maritime moved to 8-3 in conference play with the doubleheader split and currently sit in second place in the Skyline with three more conference games scheduled against St. Joseph's Long Island this coming weekend. The Privateers will take on the Golden Eagles on Reinhart Field at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 1.
