AUBURNDALE, FL – Barely 14 hours after finishing the longest game in program history, the Maritime College baseball team was back on the field for a scheduled doubleheader. On their final day at the RussMatt Invitational, the Privateers dropped a pair of games to Rochester. The Yellowjackets (3-0) notched an 8-7 victory in the opener before topping Maritime (0-5) by a 5-1 score in Game 2 at Lake Myrtle Park.
The Privateers showed no ill-effects of Friday's marathon early on, plating five runs in the bottom of the first in Game 1. Maritime's first five hitters all reached base, with
Owen Weber (Kings Park, NY) and
Joey Goodman (Merrick, NY) each drawing bases loaded walks and
Harry Leipold (Thornwood, NY) roping an RBI single. Another run scored when
Randy Ventura (Syosset, NY) reached on an error before Leipold came across on
David Grauncci's (Medford, NY) sacrifice fly.
Rochester got an unearned run in the top of the second, then pulled within 5-4 on Benjamin Garber's two-run homer in the third. George Farley IV added a solo shot in the top of the fourth, tying the score at 5-5. The Yellowjackets then took the lead with a three-spot in the fifth. However,
Alex Bardi (Wantagh, NY) led off the bottom of the fifth with his first home run of the season to make it an 8-6 game.
It was still 8-6 when Leipold singled with one out in the bottom of the seventh. Goodman was up next, and he delivered a triple to center field that brought Maritime within one, 8-7. He went on contact when Ventura sent a grounder to third, but was thrown out at home. The Privateers loaded the bases after Granucci singled and
Ralph Passantino (Mount Sinai, NY) was hit by a pitch before Sam Loeb struck out
Dominick Viggiano (Miller Place, NY) to end the game.
Leipold ended up 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI, while Goodman was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
Dylan Payano (Flushing, NY) also had two hits, and Bardi scored twice.
Ryan Morash (Merrick, NY) (0-1) took the loss in his first collegiate start. He lasted 4.2 innings, allowing eight runs (four earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and two walks.
Colin McKeon (Mullica Hill, NJ) and
Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY) combined to hold Rochester to three hits over 2.1 innings of scoreless relief.
Yellowjackets starter Andrew Lenhard faced six hitters, giving up two hits and issuing four walks. He was charged with five runs. James Nelson (1-0) earned the win after yielding just three hits in four shutout innings. He struck out two. Theo Beckley tossed two innings before Loeb pitched the seventh and was credited with the save.
Offensively, Rochester recorded nine hits. Farley went 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while Sammy Besztery was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Garber finished 1-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs, and Nathan Carpenter-Holmes had a two-run double.
In Game 2, Maritime was the visiting team and immediately got on the board. Payano led off the contest with a triple and scored on Leipold's groundout.
Joe Demos (South Hempstead, NY), making his first start as a Privateer, kept it there until Ryan Huckabone tied the game with an RBI single in the fourth.
After five solid innings by Demos, Maritime went to the bullpen in the sixth. The Yellowjackets took advantage of the Privateers' starter being out of the game to score four times in the inning. Garber broke the tie with an RBI double, then scored on a wild pitch. Will Webster added a pinch-hit, two-run double that made it 5-1.
Demos took a no-decision after holding Rochester to one run on four hits, struck out one and walked one over five innings.
Andrew Cavagnaro (Staten Island, NY) relieved him and was charged with the loss. He allowed three runs on three hits in 0.1 innings. Keller made his second appearance of the day in Game 2, yielding a run on a hit and two walks over 0.2 innings.
Maritime recorded five hits in the contest. Granucci was 2-for-3 with a double, while Payano had a triple and scored the Privateers' only run. Leipold notched an RBI.
For Rochester, Garber went 3-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI. Huckaboe was 1-for-1 with a walk, a run scored and an RBI, and Webster drove in two on his double. Starter Zach Herzog (1-0) pitched six innings, surrendering one run on five hits with five strikeouts and two walks. Jake Del Vecchio struck out one and walked one in a scoreless seventh.
On Tuesday, Maritime takes on Ramapo (4-0) at 6 p.m. The contest was originally set to be hosted by the Roadrunners, but, because of unplayable field conditions, was moved to Reinhart Baseball Field.
