FORT PIERCE, FL – The Maritime College baseball team began its Florida trip with a pair of games against Elizabethtown on Thursday.  The Privateers (3-1) took the first game of the twinbill by a 7-1 count before the Blue Jays (3-5) earned a 4-3 win in game two at Bob Gladwin Stadium.

Maritime was the visiting team in the opener, and quickly got on the board with a run in the top of the first.  Adam Mosca (Massapequa Park, NY) was hit by a pitch leading off the contest and eventually came around to score on an RBI single by Austen Bishop (Millersville, MD).  The Privateers then picked up an unearned tally in the second when Jaden Shea (Severn, MD) reached on an error before scoring on a wild pitch.

It remained that way until the top of the sixth, when Maritime scored a pair on Shea's single to center field. The Privateers increased their advantage to 7-0 with a three-spot in the seventh.  Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY) ripped an RBI single, while the other two runs came across on wild pitches.  Elizabethtown avoided the shutout with a run in the bottom of the seventh.

Shane Sullivan (Stewart Manor, NY) (1-0) was excellent on the mound.  He scattered four hits while not walking a batter over six shutout innings. Sullivan struck out four.  Matthew Demme (Carmel, NY) pitched the seventh, giving up one run on two hits.  Mosca and Bishop paced the Privateers offensively with two hits apiece.  Shea, meanwhile, went 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs.

Elizabethtown was held to six hits in the game, four singles and doubles by Garrett Schwartzbeck and AJ Bednar.  Blue Jays starting pitcher Zach Silfies (0-1) went 6.1 innings.  He allowed seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits and struck out three.  Micah Wolf and Nathaniel Barnes each tossed 0.1 innings of relief for Elizabethtown.

In game two, the Blue Jays scored a first-inning run off Maritime starter Haydn Strycharz (Pittstown, NJ).  Bryce Keller's one-out single knocked in Joey Thomas to give Elizabethtown a 1-0 lead.  The Blue Jays then increased their cushion to 3-0 with a pair of runs in the top of the fourth.

After Maritime put a pair of runners on in the bottom half of the inning, Nick Pinggera's double (Kings Park, NY) cut the Privateers' deficit to 3-2.  Pinggera moved to third on a wild pitch, but was left stranded.  Maritime did tie the game in the bottom of the fifth, however, as Ryan Rockhill (Eastchester, NY) ripped a single to right center with the bases loaded.

With the game still knotted at 3-3, Elizabethtown leadoff hitter Andrew Fisher opened the seventh inning with a bunt single.  He moved to second on a throwing error and stole third before Keller's two-out single put the Blue Jays in front.  Elizabethtown tried to add another run on Robbie Bertucio's single, but Keller was thrown out at home on the play, ending the inning.  The Privateers were unable to score in the bottom of the seventh, however, and the doubleheader ended as a split.

Travis Zurita (Ozone Park, NY) reached base all four times in game two, finishing 2-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.  Bishop also had two hits, giving him four total in the twinbill.  Strycharz tossed the first 4.1 innings on the mound, yielding three runs on six hits with two strikeouts and three walks.  William Giuliani (Levittown, NY) retired all five batters he faced before giving way to Aiden Martin (Hillsdale, NJ) (0-1), who took the loss after allowing one run and one hit while striking out one over 0.1 innings.  Eric Wenig (Simi Valley, CA) was charged with two hits over the final 0.2 innings.

For Elizabethtown, Keller ended up 3-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs.  Thomas was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Bertucio finished 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI.  Starting pitcher AJ Bednar surrendered one hit and struck out two over two innings.  Eric Sipling (1-0) earned the win after going the final 2.1 innings for the Blue Jays.  He didn't allow a run and yielded just two hits while striking out two and walking two.

On Friday, Maritime returns to action with an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader against Houghton (1-2).  The Highlanders faced Elizabethtown on Wednesday and dropped an 11-1 decision.