THROGGS NECK, NY – After losing the opener, 7-4, the Maritime College baseball team trailed 5-4 heading into the bottom of the ninth in the second game of a doubleheader with Merchant Marine on Saturday afternoon.  With two on and none out, however, Alex Bardi (Wantagh, NY) delivered a three-run, walk-off homer that was just fair down the right field line, giving the Privateers (20-8, 9-3 Skyline) a 7-5 win and a spilt of the twinbill with the Mariners (18-10, 9-1 Skyline) at Reinhart Baseball Field.

Anthony Madigan (Greenlawn, NY) began the game-winning rally with a double off Merchant Marine closer Caden Pierce.  The Mariners then decided to intentionally walk Freddy Forgione (Ronkonkoma, NY), bringing up Bardi.  His sent a shot down the right field line that crossed just to the left of the foul pole for his first career walk-off home run.  The 7-5 victory was Maritime's first walk-off win of the season.

The contest started off as a pitchers' duel, with Matt Demme (Carmel, NY) and Tommy Chiappetti throwing up zeroes over the first four innings.  Merchant Marine took the lead on Landon Troutt's homer in the top of the fifth before Harry Leipold (Thornwood, NJ) belted a grand slam to center in the bottom half of the inning, putting the Privateers up 4-1.  It remained that way until the seventh, when Troutt's second homer of the game, a two-run shot, sparked a four-run rally that made it 5-4 in favor of the Mariners.

Bardi finished 1-for-3 with a home run, two runs scored and three RBIs.  Forgione also scored twice, while Madigan was 3-for-5 with two doubles and a run scored.  Demme went 6.2 innings on the mound.  He allowed five runs on seven hits, struck out four and walked two.  Colin McKeon (Mullica Hill, NJ) gave up one hit and recorded a strikeout before William Chu (Port Washington, NY) (3-1) tossed the final two innings and earned the win.  He yielded three hits and tallied three strikeouts.

Troutt hit two homers and drove in three for the Mariners, while Jack Millen had three hits and scored a run.  Chiappetti lasted six innings, surrendering four runs on nine hits with a walk and four strikeouts.  After Jacob Syversen and Eddie Lippert combined to strike out five over two shutout innings, Pierce (1-1) pitched the ninth and took the loss.

In the first game, Merchant Marine put up two runs in the top of the first before Bardi went deep to left in the bottom half of the inning.  The Privateers then tied it on Bardi's RBI single in the bottom of the third.  After a pair of sacrifice flies in the top of the fifth put the Mariners back in front, 4-2, Forgione crushed a home run to center field that brought Maritime within one at 4-3.  However, Merchant Marine extended its advantage to 7-3 on Garrett Clapsaddle's three-run homer in the sixth.

Maritime was down to its last out in the bottom of the seventh when Forgione smacked his second home run of the game, a solo blast to right that cut the Privateers' deficit to 7-4.  Bardi followed with a single to center, but Ryan Felton struck out Logan Martinson (Sumner, WA) to finish off Merchant Marine's 7-4 victory.

Bardi was 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBIs, and Madigan finished 2-for-4 with a run scored.  Forgione, meanwhile, belted two homers for the second time this season and now has a career-high 14 longs balls on the year.  Starting pitcher Gavin McIntyre (Princess Anne, MD) lasted three innings on the mound.  He gave up two runs on three hits, struck out two and walked three.  Andrew Heiderstadt (Farmingdale, NY) (0-1) took the loss after allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits while notching six strikeouts and issuing one walk over four innings.

For the Mariners, Clapsaddle was 2-for-3 with a homer, three RBIs and three runs scored.  Troutt and Tyler Reistetter each added two hits, while Ben Bridges drove in a pair and Millen crossed the plate twice.  Felton (2-2) threw a seven-inning complete game, yielding four runs on nine hits, striking out seven and walking one.

On Sunday, Maritime welcomes first-place St. Joseph's LI (20-7, 10-0 Skyline) to Reinhart Baseball Field for a 12 p.m. doubleheader.  It will be the first time the teams are meeting since the Golden Eagles defeated the Privateers in the championship round of last season's Skyline Tournament.