KINGS POINT, NY – On Thursday night, the Maritime College baseball team began the Skyline Conference Tournament with a matchup against St. Joseph's LI. Making their first appearance in the double-elimination portion of the event since 2023, the second-seeded Privateers (21-15) dropped a 9-6 decision to the third-seeded Golden Eagles (22-18) at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy's Bartoszek Field.
Maritime took a 1-0 lead on
Owen Weber's (Kings Park, NY) RBI single in the bottom of the first before St. Joseph's tied it on an RBI single by Joe Hackal in the top of the second. The Golden Eagles then scored three in the third to go up 4-1. The Privateers loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but
Harry Leipold (Thornwood, NY) grounded into a double play to end the inning. St. Joseph's LI then added an unearned tally in the top of the fifth to make it 5-1.
In the bottom of the fifth,
Dylan Payano (Flushing, NY) and
Alex Bardi (Wantagh, NY) were both hit by pitches, then moved to second and third on a balk. Weber followed with a single to right center that brought in the two baserunners and cut Maritime's deficit to 5-3. However, the Golden Eagles scored one in the sixth, two in the seventh and one in the eighth to open up a 9-3 advantage.
The Privateers rallied in the bottom of the eighth. After Weber and
Chris Picarella (Levittown, NY) walked,
Joey Goodman (Merrick, NY) sent a ground ball down the left field line and into the corner for a two-run double. He moved to third on a groundout, then scored on Leipold's single up the middle to bring Maritime within 9-6. That would be the final, however, as Payano was left stranded after a one-one single in the bottom of the ninth.
Weber finished 3-for-4 with three RBIs and a run scored. Goodman, meanwhile, was 2-for-4 with a double, two RBIs and a run scored.
Joe Sorge (Montgomery, NY) (5-2) started on the mound for the Privateers and went 4.1 innings. He allowed five runs (four earned) on 10 hits, struck out five and walked four.
Sean Mylan (Lynbrook, NY) tossed 3.2 innings of relief, giving up four runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and a walk.
Jackson Tucholski (Massapequa, NY) tossed a 1-2-3 ninth.
As a team, St. Joseph's LI tallied 19 hits, with Joe Thatcher recording four singles. Andrew Amarnado ended up 3-for-6 with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Joe Hackal went 3-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Rob Page, meanwhile, was 2-for-3 with two walks, two RBIs and a run scored. Paul McNally and Alex Johnston each had two hits and two runs scored for the Golden Eagles.
St. Joseph's LI starter Ryan Callaghan (6-1) earned the win after notching 11 strikeouts in 7.1 innings. He surrendered four runs on seven hits and three walks. Ryan Reynolds faced two batters, both of whom scored, before Ryan Barlow pitched the final 1.2 innings for the Golden Eagles. He yielded a pair of singles and struck out one.
With the loss, Maritime drops into the loser's bracket. The Privateers will face Merchant Marine (22-15), the No. 5 seed, in an elimination contest at 12 p.m. on Friday from the Farmingdale State Baseball Stadium. Should Maritime win, the Privateers will meet the loser of the St. Joseph's/Farmingdale winner's bracket matchup in another elimination game at 6 p.m.
