STATEN ISLAND, NY – The Maritime College baseball team (1-0) began its 2024 season with a 6-0 victory over Utica (0-1) at SIUH Community Park on Saturday afternoon. Three pitchers—
Matt Demme (Carmel, NY),
Joe Sorge (Montgomery, NY) and
Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY)—combined on a one-hit shutout in the win.
Maritime got all the offense it needed in the bottom of the second, when two runs came across. After
Jaden Shea (Severn, MD) was hit by a pitch,
Rob Copozzi (Center Moriches, NY) and
Harry Leipold (Thornwood, NJ) both walked to load the bases with no outs.
Alex Bardi (Wantagh, NY) then roped an RBI single before Copozzi scored on a wild pitch.
It remained that way until the bottom of the seventh, when
Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY) scored on a wild pitch. Maritime added three more in the eighth. Leipold was hit by a pitch and Bardi walked before
Anthony Madigan (Greenlawn, NY) reached on an error. After a wild pitch, Forgione crushed a two-run double to make it 6-0.
Utica, meanwhile, was only able to manage a two-out single by Jack Scanlon in the sixth. Demme (1-0) got the start for Maritime and retired 12 of the 14 hitters he faced over the first four innings. He issued two walks in the second and, but also recorded three of his four strikeouts in that inning. Sorge was charged with a hit and a walk while striking out three over 3.1 innings, while Kellner tossed the final 1.2 innings to earn the save. He tallied two strikeouts.
At the plate, Forgione went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. Bardi also had two hits, scored once and drove in a run.
Matt Milone's (Farmingville, NY) third-inning single was Maritime's only other hit.
Kooper Knabe (0-1) went three innings on the mound for the Pioneers and took the loss. He surrendered two runs on two hits, struck out four and walked three. Christian Cicchetti, Tim Martin, Nick Greene and Jack Krug each came out of the bullpen for Utica and combined to allow four runs (two earned) on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
On Sunday, the Privateers and Pioneers conclude the three-game series with a doubleheader at Reinhart Baseball Field. The opener of the twinbill gets underway at 11 a.m.
