LYNDHURST, NJ – The Maritime College baseball team entered the final weekend of the regular season knowing that with four wins, it would be guaranteed at least a share of the Skyline Conference regular season title. After sweeping Yeshiva on Friday, the Privateers are halfway to that goal. Maritime (19-14, 14-4 Skyline) earned a 14-4 triumph in the opener before posting a 22-3 victory over the Maccabees (2-28, 1-19 Skyline) in Game 2 at Breslin Field.
In Game 1, the Privateers used a pair of runs in the first and two more in the third to build a 4-0 lead. However, Yeshiva rallied to tie it with a four-spot in the bottom of the third. Jake Arnow ripped a three-run double before Noah Steinmetz followed with a game-tying RBI single.
Maritime immediately responded with four in the top of the fourth, then added another on
Guytano Kiesel's (Bayport, NY) RBI single in the fifth. The Privateers increased their advantage to 14-4 with a five-run seventh, and
Jack Kellner (Seaford, NY) worked around a leadoff single in the bottom half of the inning to finish off the win.
Kiesel finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs.
Dylan Payano (Flushing, NY) was 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI, while
Randy Ventura (Syosset, NY) went 2-for-3 and scored three times.
Joey Goodman (Merrick, NY),
Harry Leipold (Thornwood, NY) and
Dominick Viggiano (Miller Place, NY), meanwhile, all crossed the plate twice.
Jackson Tucholski (Massapequa, NY) (3-1) got the start on the mound and was credited with the victory. He allowed four runs on four hits, struck out seven and walked on over four innings. Kellner pitched three shutout innings, yielding one hit and recording three strikeouts, to notch his program-record 11
th career save.
Arnow's three-RBI double was one of five hits for the Maccabees. He also scored a run. Starting pitcher Jacob Shakin (0-4) took the loss after giving up seven runs (six earned) on three hits with four walks and a strikeout over 3.1 innings. Noah Steinmetz threw the final 3.2 innings, surrendering seven runs (four earned) on six hits, walking three and striking out one.
Chris Picarella (Levittown, NY) put Maritime on the board with a two-run single in the first inning of Game 2, while Goodman and Viggiano each followed with RBI singles to make it 4-0. After Yeshiva scored an unearned tally in the bottom of the first, the Privateers extended the margin to 6-1 with a pair of runs in the second. Maritime then four more across in the fourth to open up a 10-1 cushion.
Each team added a run before the Privateers erupted for seven in the top of the sixth. With a four-run seventh, Maritime equaled its season-high total of 22 runs. The Maccabees got one in the seventh off
Liam Murphy (Ronkonkoma, NY), who was making his first collegiate appearance, to close within 22-3 at the finish.
Ten different Privateers had hits in the contest, while nine players scored a run and nine collected RBIs. Picarella led the way with four hits, three runs scored and five RBIs. Payano was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and two RBIs. Ventura,
Alex Bardi (Wantagh, NY) and
David Granucci (Medford, NY) scored three runs apiece, and Ventura stole four bases to tie the single-season program-record of 33. As a team, Maritime had 17 stolen bases in the game.
Andrew Heiderstadt (Farmingdale, NY) (1-0) started on the mound and tossed six innings. He gave up just two runs (one earned) and two hits while striking out three and walking four. Murphy was charged with one run on three hits in the seventh inning. He issued one walk and recorded one strikeout.
For Yeshiva, Reuben Benzaquen drove in a run with a double. Arnow was credited with a sacrifice fly, giving him four RBIs on the day. Maccabees starting pitcher Chaim Stark (2-4) lasted four innings and took the loss. He yielded 10 runs (nine earned) and 11 hits while also tallying three strikeouts.
On Saturday, the Privateers conclude the regular season with a 12 p.m. doubleheader against Purchase (17-18, 10-8 Skyline) at Reinhart Baseball Field. Maritime will honor it senior class prior to the twinbill.
