THROGGS NECK, NY – Nick Pinggera's (Kings Park, NY) first career home run, a three-run shot to center field, gave the Maritime College baseball team (1-1) a 3-1 victory in game two of its season-opening doubleheader with Plattsburgh (1-1) at Reinhart Baseball Field on Sunday. The Privateers dropped the first game by a 4-3 score.
It was still 0-0 in the bottom of the fifth when
Rob Copozzi (Center Moriches, NY) sent a ground ball up the middle for a one-out single.
Jaden Shea (Severn, MD) followed with a double to right before Pinggera's long ball put Maritime in front 3-0. After putting one across in the top of the sixth, the Cardinals had the tying run on second with two out.
William Chu (Port Washington, NY) induced an inning-ending groundout, though, preserving the 3-1 lead. Copozzi then took over on the mound in the seventh and worked around a two-out double to earn the save.
Matthew Demme (Carmel, NY) got the start and gave up two first-inning singles before retiring the final seven Plattsburgh hitters he faced. The Cardinals nearly took the lead off
Brandon Stanley (Swedesboro, NY) in the fourth. However, Kyle Cremin was thrown out trying to score on Nick Cergol's single to center, and Stanley then struck out Andrew Veit to end the inning. Stanley (1-0), who pitched two innings in his first collegiate appearance, was credited with the win.
In addition to picking up the save, Copozzi went 2-for-2 at the plate with a run scored.
Anthony Madigan (Greenlawn, NY) and
Michael Frazzetta (Howard Beach, NY) each added a single for the Privateers.
Veit had an RBI double for Plattsburgh, while Cremin was 1-for-3 with a run scored and Jack Defayette finished 1-for-4 with a double. Chris Santic (0-1) took the loss after allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four in five innings. Logan Avin pitched the sixth for the Cardinals and recorded one strikeout.
Pinggera broke a 0-0 tie with an RBI double in the fourth inning of game one, and it looked like that might be enough to hold up. The Maritime pitching staff was two outs away from a perfect game before Alex Kornblau's double in the top of the seventh. Cremin followed with a single that tied the game, then Conner Gonzalski was hit by a pitch. Cergol was up next, and he crushed a three-run homer to right field that put Plattsburgh up 4-1.
After
Patrick Bartoletta (Plainview, NY) singled leading off the bottom of the seventh,
Chris Felder (Wallingford, PA) ripped one to the gap in left center. Pinch runner
Randy Ventura (Syosset, NY) scored easily on the play, and Felder was also awarded home when the throw to third went into the Plattsburgh dugout. However, the Privateers ended up a run short, as Kolby Mordecki got a pair of groundouts to close out the Cardinals' 4-3 victory.
The Maritime pitching staff recorded 14 strikeouts in game one. Starter
Shane Sullivan (Stewart Manor, NY) tossed three perfect innings, and struck out the last eight batters he faced. The only hitter he didn't strike out was leadoff man Jack Defayette, who flied to left.
Andrew Heiderstadt (Farmingdale, NY) had three strikeouts in two innings, while
Joseph Sorge (Montgomery, NY) faced three batters and struck out two of them.
Jonathan Racanello (New Rochelle, NY) (0-1) pitched the seventh inning and took the loss. He allowed four runs on four hits and was credited with one strikeout.
Offensively, the Privateers collected seven hits, with Pinggera going 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI. He finished a triple shy of a cycle for the doubleheader. Copozzi was 1-for-3 with a run scored, while Felder had a triple, an RBI and a run.
Plattsburgh starter Sean Malamud (1-0) earned the win after yielding just one run and five hits over six innings. He struck out eight. Despite giving up two runs and two hits in the seventh, Mordecki picked up the save.
Up next for Maritime is its annual Florida trip. The Privateers will play five games in three days, starting with an 11 a.m. twinbill against Houghton (0-3) on Thursday.
