FORT PIERCE, FL – On Friday, the Maritime College baseball team continued its Florida trip with a pair of contests against Houghton.  After the Privateers (4-2) took game one by a 12-8 count, the Highlanders (2-3) rallied to earn an 8-4, extra-inning win in the second game at the Lanwood Sports Complex.

In game one, Maritime was the visiting team, and the Privateers got on the board first in the top of the third.  After Justin Lee (Tuckahoe, NY) and Jaden Shea (Severn, MD) drew back-to-back walks, Travis Zurita (Ozone Park, NY) knocked them both in with a double to left center.  Houghton pulled within 2-1 on Chris Vancheri's RBI double in the fourth, but the Privateers responded with a six-spot in the top of the fifth.

Zurita and Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY) each ripped an RBI double before Austen Bishop (Millersville, MD) drove in another run with a single to right center.  After Jake Bernardi (Bronx, NY) walked to load the bases, three straight bases loaded walks made it 8-1.  The Highlanders scored three times in their half of the inning, however, to cut their deficit to 8-4.

It was still 8-4 in the top of the seventh, when the Privateers picked up four insurance tallies.  Those extra runs would prove invaluable, as Houghton plated four in the bottom of the seventh.  The Highlanders had the tying run on deck with two out when John Ohanian (Bellmore, NY) got Jeremy Wilcox to line to short, finishing off the 12-8 Maritime victory.

Shea went 2-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBIs, while Zurita finished 2-for-3 with three RBIs.  Adam Mosca (Massapequa Park, NY), who pinch ran for Zurita in the fifth, ended up scoring twice, and Lee also scored two runs.  Frank Santeramo (Garden City, NY) (1-0) earned his first collegiate win after tossing five innings.  He allowed four runs on six hits, struck out five and walked three.

For the Highlanders, Vancheri was 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored.  Zach Parr went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Dylan Boprey also had a pair of hits to go along with a run and an RBI.  Houghton starter Hunter Kendall (1-1) took the loss after giving up four runs on three hits with five walks and five strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

The Privateers took a 2-0 lead in the first inning of game two.  Jonathan Racanello (New Rochelle, NY) drove in a run on a groundout before Bernardi ripped an RBI single to right.  Maritime then increased its advantage to 4-0 with a pair of runs in the fourth.  Nick Pinggera (Kings Park, NY) singled home a run and Forgione followed with a sacrifice fly.

Houghton scored three in the top of the fifth, then tied the game with an unearned run in the seventh.  The Privateers loaded the bases with two down in the bottom of the seventh, but Bishop flied to center and the game went into extra innings.

After a scoreless eighth, the Highlanders took advantage of two Maritime errors in the top of the ninth.  The big blow was a dropped fly ball with the bases loaded that allowed all three runners to score.  The Privateers put two runners on in the bottom half of the inning, but failed to score, and Houghton earned a split with the 8-4, extra-inning triumph.

Forgione, Chris Felder (Wallingford, PA) and Vasilios Vafakos (Astoria, NY) collected two hits apiece in game two.  Niko Concha (Ballston Spa, NY) got the start on the mound and lasted 4.1 innings.  He surrendered three runs on five hits and struck out six.  Gabe Zwerin (Oceanport, NJ), William Giuliani (Levittown, NY) and James Paczkowski (Oceanside, NY) combined to toss 2.2 innings of relief before Aiden Martin (Hillsdale, NJ) (0-2) pitched the final two innings.  He took the loss after yielding four unearned runs on three hits and a walk.

Ryan Newtown (1-0) hurled a complete game for Houghton, giving up four runs (two earned) on 10 hits while striking out five and walking two.  Offensively, Boprey paced the Highlanders with three hits.  Jeremy Wilcox and Sebastian Rodriguez contributed two hits each, while Jason Kauffeldt drove in two runs and scored twice.

Maritime concludes the trip on Saturday with a single nine-inning game against Wilkes (2-0).  The contest gets underway at 3 p.m.