AUBURNDALE, FL – The Maritime College baseball team played the longest game in program history on Friday.  The Privateers (0-3) took a 4-3 lead in the top of the 17^th, but RIT (3-4) scored two in the bottom half of the inning to walk-off with a 5-4 victory at the RussMatt Invitational from Lake Myrtle Park.

Maritime trailed 2-0 after seven innings, but tied the game with a run in the eighth and another in the ninth.  It remained that way until the 12^th, when each team put a run on the board.  In the top of the 17^th, Owen Weber (Kings Park, NY) roped a one-out single, then came around with the go-ahead tally on Joey Goodman's (Merrick, NY) RBI double.  However, the Tigers rallied for two in the bottom of the 17^th to end the marathon contest.

RIT had built its 2-0 advantage in the bottom of the first, when the first five Tigers to come to the plate all got hits.  However, after a strikeout, Joe Sorge (Montgomery, NY) induced a grounder back to the mound for the second out before notching another K to leave the bases loaded.

In the top of the eighth, the Privateers recorded their first run of the game without the benefit of a hit.  Randy Ventura (Syosset, NY) drew a leadoff walk, stole second, moved to third on a groundout, and scored on a passed ball.  After RIT stranded the bases loaded in the bottom half of the inning, Maritime tied it in the top of the ninth.  Alex Bardi (Wantagh, NY) was hit by a pitch and Weber singled, then Granucci bunted the runners to second and third.  Goodman followed with a groundout to first that allowed Bardi to come across with the tying run.  RIT put its leadoff hitter on in the bottom of the ninth, but was unable to knock him in, sending the contest to extra innings.

Each team had its chances before the Privateers broke through for the go-ahead tally.  Dominick Viggiano (Miller Place, NY) was hit by a pitch leading off the inning, and he moved to second on Harry Leipold's (Thornwood, NY) sacrifice bunt.  Viggiano then scored on a Bardi double.  The Tigers took advantage of a Maritime error to put an unearned run on the board in their half of the 12^th.  RIT had a chance to win after loading the bases with one out, but a line drive to second and a line drive ended the threat, keeping the game tied at 3-3.

It continued that way until the 17^th, when the Privateers once again took the lead on the Goodman double that drove in Weber.  After Jarin Moses was hit by a pitch with one down in the bottom of the 17^th, Sam Kulp ripped a double to knot the score at 4-4.  Kulp moved to third on a groundout, then scored on an error to give the Tigers a 5-4 triumph after nearly five hours of baseball.

This was the longest game by innings that the Privateers have ever played.  The previous program record was a 15-inning affair against Merchant Marine in the opening round of the Skyline Conference Tournament on May 6, 2017.  Maritime won that contest, 8-7, en route to the Skyline championship.

Despite the game's duration, the Privateers used just three pitchers.  Sorge went the first 7.1 innings, limiting RIT to two runs (both in the first) on seven hits with four strikeouts and two walks. Luke Martinez (Mineola, NY) was sensational in his Maritime debut, tossing 4.2 innings and yielding just an unearned run on five hits.  He struck out seven and issued three walks.  Jackson Tucholski (Massapequa, NY) (0-1), meanwhile, pitched the final 4.2 innings and suffered the loss.  He gave up two runs (one earned) on two hits while notching three strikeouts and walking one.

Weber led the way offensively, collecting half of the Privateers' eight hits.  Bardi ended up 2-for-6 with a run scored and an RBI, while Goodman knocked in both the tying run in the ninth and the go-ahead run in the 17^th.

For RIT, Kulp went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs after entering the game as a pinch runner in the eighth.  Overall, 22 Tigers saw action in the contest.  Jackson Rusiecki was 2-for-4 with a run scored, while Hayes Waddell (who Kulp replaced in the lineup) and Evan Kurtz each contributed two hits.

Starting pitcher Ryan Moran lasted five innings on the mound for RIT, allowing just two hits and striking out two while not walking any.  Dylan Joseph followed with four innings and was charged with two runs (one earned) on five hits with four strikeouts and two walks.  Joseph Wozny didn't surrender a hit in two innings of work.  He did, however, issue three walks, allowing a run to score.  Wozny struck out two.  Sly Cash struck out six in four shutout innings before Ty Book (1-1) pitched the final two innings and picked up the win.  He gave up one run on two hits, walked two and struck out two.

After playing the equivalent of a doubleheader on Friday, Maritime has a quick turnaround before a scheduled twinbill on Saturday morning.  The Privateers conclude their Florida trip with two games against Rochester (1-0) starting at 9:30 a.m.