THROGGS NECK, NY – The Maritime College baseball team is returning to the postseason.  The Privateers clinched their 11^th straight Skyline Conference Tournament berth with a doubleheader sweep of Farmingdale on Saturday.  After walking off with a 7-6 victory in Game 1, Maritime (25-13, 12-6 Skyline) earned a 10-3 win over the Rams (16-17, 8-10 Skyline) in the nightcap at Reinhart Baseball Field.

Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY) homered in the first inning of Game 1, and it remained 1-0 until the fifth, with Forgione came around on Matt Milone's (Farmingville, NY).  The three-bagger was his fourth of the season, setting a new program single-season record.

Chris McGuggart led off the top of the sixth with a solo home run, then Bobby Pollock followed with a double.  After pinch hitter Brad Sakellarides was hit by a pitch, Nolan White gave Farmingdale the lead with a two-run single to center.  The Rams then added three in the seventh on McGuggart's RBI single and a two-run homer by Pollock.

Trailing 6-2 heading into the bottom of the seventh (the final scheduled inning), Maritime rallied to tie the game.  Anthony Madigan (Greenlawn, NY) led off the inning with a double to center before Forgione singled to left and Milone ripped an RBI double to left.  Rob Copozzi (Center Moriches, NY) then walked to load the bases.  With two down, Michael Frazzetta (Howard Beach, NY) smacked a double to left center that cleared the bases and tie the score at 6-6.

After leaving runners on first and second in the eighth, the Privateers rallied to win it in the bottom of the ninth.  Jaden Shea (Severn, MD) started the rally with a double down the left field line, and he moved to second on Randy Ventura's (Syosset, NY) perfectly-placed bunt between the pitcher's mound and first base.  Vasilios Vafakos (Astoria, NY) was then intentionally walked to load the bases with one out.  The Rams retired Chris Felder (Wallingford, PA) on a strikeout, but Madigan was hit by a pitch, sending Shea home with the winning run.

Forgione reached base five times in the game, walking twice and being hit by a pitch to go along with a single and a homer.  He scored twice.  Milone, meanwhile, had a pair of extra-base hits (a double and a triple) and two RBIs.  Matthew Demme (Carmel, NY) got the start on the mound and lasted six innings.  He yielded three runs on seven hits, struck out three and walked one.  William Chu (Port Washington, NY) gave up three runs on three hits in the seventh, while Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY) (2-2) earned the win after tossing two scoreless innings.  He surrendered one hit and picked up two strikeouts.

Pollock went 3-for-3 with a double, a homer, two runs scored and two RBIs for the Rams.  McGuggart also scored twice and drove in a pair of runs.  He finished 2-for-5 with a homer.  White, meanwhile, was 2-for-2 with two RBIs.  Daniel Deutsch lasted three innings on the mound.  He allowed one run on one hit, walked five and struck out five.  Michael Camardi (1-3) was charged with one run on two hits in one inning and took the loss.  He struck out two and walked one.

In Game 2, Milone lifted a first-inning homer, his 12^th of the season.  Deutsch responded with a two-run shot in the top of the second before the Privateers regained the lead with a four-spot in the bottom of the third.  Forgione belted a solo homer to center, then, after a Milone single, Copozzi went deep to right center.  Shea followed with a walk, stole second, and came across on Ventura's double that was just fair down the left field line.

Farmingdale got one run back in the top of the fourth, but Maritime put up two in the fifth and three more in the sixth.  Shea and Ventura led off the fifth with back-to-back doubles, and Vafakos later drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to center.  Copozzi then crushed his second home run of the game, a three-run blast to right, in the sixth.  Brandon Stanley (Swedesboro, NY) finished off the 10-3 victory by retiring the Rams in order in the top of the seventh.

As a team, the Privateers had four home runs in the contest—two by Copozzi and one each for Forgione and Milone.  Copozzi finished with five RBIs, while Milone was 2-for-2 with two walks, three runs scored and an RBI.  He hit for the cycle across the two games.  Forgione ended up 2-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, and Ventura drove in two runs on a pair of doubles. 

Shane Sullivan (Stewart Manor, NY) (4-1) went four innings on the mound and earned the win.  He allowed three runs on three hits, struck out five and walked one.  Stanley picked up his first career save after holding the Rams to two hits over three scoreless innings.  He tallied three strikeouts and issued two walks.

For the Rams, McGuggart went 2-for-3 with a run scored.  Deutsch, meanwhile, drove in two runs on his homer.  Starting pitcher Trevor Diamond (0-1) lasted 3.1 innings, surrendering five runs on eight hits with six strikeouts and two walks.

Maritime concludes the regular season by hosting Yeshiva (0-27, 0-18 Skyline) for a 12 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday.  The Privateers will secure at least the No. 3 seed in the Skyline Tournament with one win, and could move up to No. 2 with a sweep, depending on what happens in the St. Joseph's LI-Mount St. Vincent twinbill.