YAPHANK, N.Y. (March 10, 2014) – The Maritime Privateer baseball team picked up its first win of the season in the second game of a doubleheader against the Plymouth State Panthers on Monday evening at Baseball Heaven. In the first game, Maritime fell by a 9-2 score before bouncing back and winning 3-2 in the back end of the twin-bill.
In the nightcap, the Privateers sent rookie Phil Marks (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock North) to the hill and despite several hit batters, he kept the Panthers hitless through the first three frames.
The bottom half of the second inning saw the Privateers take their first lead of the game on a two-run home run over the right centerfield fence by junior Matthew Sollin (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side), as he brought home sophomorePaul Woodburn (Huntingtown, Md./Huntingtown), who was hit by a pitch to start off the frame.
Maritime tacked on a third run in the bottom of the third as junior Pat Kirk (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) led off the frame with a first pitch single. Kirk was moved up when senior Nick Galli (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph By the Sea)reached on a bunt single. Junior Joe Longo (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) was also looking to reach on a bunt single, but ended up moving the runners up to second and third. Freshman Brian McLaughlin (Massapequa, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) brought home Kirk with a groundout as the Privateers increased their lead.
The defense shined after a leadoff single by Plymouth State, as sophomore D.J. Seymour (Nassau, Bahamas/Rabun Gap-Nacoochee (Ga.)) started a 5-4-3 double play. Marks scattered another hit but was able to get a flyout to end the threat.
In the top of the fifth inning, the Panthers loaded the bases with a pair of walks and a single. Senior Trevor Cannella(Sea Cliff, N.Y./North Shore) came on for his season debut and walked the next batter to plate the first run for Plymouth State. Cannella got the next batter, but then allowed a seeing-eye single through the right side as the Panthers trimmed the lead to one at 3-2.
Cannella then hung up a zero in the top of the sixth inning to keep the lead at one. In the bottom half of the frame, Longo led off with a double to the right field wall, followed by Maritime loading the bases, but the Privateers were unable to tack on any insurance runs.
In the top of the seventh, Cannella allowed an infield hit to the second batter of the inning, who then advanced into scoring position on a groundout with the tying run. He then plunked the next batter to put the go-ahead run on base, followed by a walk to load the bases. However, Cannella was able to induce a fly out to center to end the game.
Earning the win was Marks (1-0), who went 4 1/3 innings and allowed two runs on three hits with three strikeouts on 97 pitches. In relief, Cannella earned the save as he went 2 2/3 innings and allowed two hits without allowing a run.
Suffering the loss was Jeff Runnals, who went five innings and allowed three runs on four hits while striking out six batters. Ryan Wakefield finished off the game striking out the side in the bottom of the sixth.
In the opener, the Privateers sent junior Ryan Alsdorf (Bethel, N.Y./Sullivan West) to the hill and he allowed a pair of base hits in the top of the first, but went unscathed as he registered a groundout to keep the Panthers off the board. Plymouth State plated a pair of runs in the second to take a 2-0 lead with a sacrifice fly and a double.
The Panthers tacked on two more in the top of the fourth and expanded its lead to 4-0. In the top of the fifth inning, three errors by the Privateers helped Plymouth State plate four more runs as the Panthers led 8-0.
After the Panthers brought around a ninth run in the top of the seventh inning, the Privateers offense showed signs of life in the bottom half of the frame. Junior Albert Doerbecker (Point Lookout, N.Y./Long Beach) led off with a single, three batters later senior Tom Bauer (Wantagh, N.Y./MacArthur) walked and the pair advanced to scoring position on a wild pitch.
After Galli walked to load the bases, Longo and McLaughlin walked with the bases loaded to plate the first two Maritime runs in the front end of the doubleheader.
Taking the loss in the opener was Alsdorf (0-2) after letting up two earned runs on 10 hits and struck out four. JuniorPaul Pfundstein (Deer Park, N.Y./Deer Park) allowed four earned runs on six hits as he pitched the final three frames for the Privateers.
Picking up the win was Cody Gilchrist (1-0) as he allowed just one hit over the first five innings. Kyle Sanford pitched a hitless inning of relief, before Brandon Krueger allowed the two Maritime runs on one hit in one inning of work.
Maritime (1-7, 0-0 Skyline) will open up league play tomorrow evening when it takes on Yeshiva at Taft High School in the Bronx, N.Y. with first pitch slated for 8 p.m.
Plymouth State (3-1, 0-0 Little East) will take on Plattsburgh on Sunday, March 16 in Fort Myers, Florida.