THROGGS NECK, NY – Heading into Sunday's regular season finale, the Maritime College baseball team knew that the only way to guarantee a place in the Skyline Conference Tournament would be to sweep its doubleheader against Purchase.  And that's exactly what the Privateers did.  Niko Concha (Ballston Spa, NY) threw an eight-hit shutout in the opener, a 5-0 victory.  Maritime (22-12, 12-8 Skyline) then defeated Purchase (11-23, 7-13 Skyline) 13-2 in game two at Reinhart Baseball Field to officially wrap up a playoff spot.

The Privateers honored their 10 graduating seniors—including Concha—prior to game one.  Concha then took the mound and worked out a of second-inning jam when he induced a double play after back-to-back one-out singles.

It was still 0-0 in the bottom of the fourth when the Privateers used the long ball to break the tie.  After Ryan Rockhill (Eastchester, NY) led off the inning with a single, Austen Bishop (Millersville, MD) crushed a home run to center field.  Logan Martinson (Sumner, WA) followed with a base hit, then Adam Mosca (Massapequa Park, NY) hit Maritime's second two-run homer of the inning.

Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY) got into the act in the fifth, belting a solo shot to center.  His eighth home run of the year made it 5-0.

Purchase loaded the bases with one out in the top of the sixth, but Concha got a double play ground ball to end the inning.  In the top of the seventh, the Panthers again loaded the bases on three consecutive singles.  After Concha struck out Trevor Zanderzuk, James Shea flied to right for the final out.  The shutout was his third of the year, and Concha finished the regular season with a perfect 7-0 record.

Myles Scarry and Sam Saltzman had two hits apiece for the Panthers.  Purchase starting pitcher Ryan Castrataro (3-6) tossed 4.1 innings, allowing five runs on six hits with four walks and two strikeouts.  Mason Compton held Maritime to a pair of hits in 1.2 innings of scoreless relief.

Game two was scoreless until the third, when the Privateers plated three runs.  Travis Zurita (Ozone Park, NY) started the rally with a double down the left field line, then moved to third on Rockhill's single to right.  Bishop followed with a single that plated Zurita with the first run of the game.  Rockhill scored on an error, then Maritime made it 3-0 when Bishop came across on a wild pitch.

After Purchase got on the board in the top of the fourth, Zurita belted a two-run homer in the bottom half of the inning.  The Privateers added an unearned tally in the fifth to increase their lead to 6-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, Maritime put up a seven-spot to break the game open.  Zurita and Rockhill walked before Bishop drove them both in with a double to center.  After Martinson walked and Jaden Shea (Severn, MD) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Jake Bernardi (Bronx, NY) drew a walk.  Nick Pinggera (Kings Park, NY) was up next, and he delivered a bases-clearing double down the left field line.  Needing a triple for the cycle, Zurita followed with a knock into the left field corner.  He stopped at second on the play, though, settling for an RBI double and a 4-for-4 game.

Matthew Demme (Carmel, NY) worked around a two-out double in the top of the seventh, and the game came to an early conclusion with Maritime holding an 11-run advantage.  With the doubleheader sweep, the Privateers earned a berth in the Skyline Tournament for the 10^th consecutive time.

Zurita led Maritime offensively with four hits, including a homer and two doubles.  He drove in three runs and scored three times.  Bishop was 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs, while Pinggera finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs.  Rockhill also scored twice, and Bernardi had two RBIs.  Demme (6-2), who was perfect for the first 3.1 innings, struck out four in a complete-game effort.  He yielded two runs on six hits and did not walk a batter.

For the Panthers, Saltzman went 2-for-3 with two runs scored.  Christian Homa also had two hits, and Louis Carvell collected Purchase's only RBI.  Justin Doskoez (2-4) got the start on the mound and lasted three innings.  He allowed three runs on eight hits and tallied eight strikeouts without issuing a walk.

Maritime will be the 5-seed in the Skyline Tournament and be on the road for the single-elimination first round on Wednesday.  The Privateers will visit fourth-seeded Merchant Marine (23-17, 13-7 Skyline), with whom they split the 2022 season series.  The Mariners took the opener of the April 10 doubleheader, 2-1 in 12 innings, while Maritime earned a 3-2 victory in game two.