Game 1: #3 Farmingdale State - 7, #4 Maritime - 3
Game 2: #3 Farmingdale State - 10, #1 St. Joseph's - 5
Patchogue, N.Y. - Farmingdale State started the morning with a 7-3 victory over Maritime and followed with a 10-5 win against St. Joseph's clinching a berth into tomorrow's Skyline Conference Finals. The Rams will face Old Westbury (who has not lost a game) in the double elimination tournament.
Leading 1-0 against Maritime (12-18) in the top of the fourth, Farmingdale State (18-16) freshman center fielder Ryan Osborne (Westhampton Beach, N.Y.) hit a 2 RBI single to left center to increase the lead to 3-0. Later in the inning, senior left fielder Anthony Alvino (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) hit an RBI single to left to put the Rams ahead, 4-0.
Farmingdale State took a 5-0 lead in the fifth inning on an Osborne RBI single to left which scored Matteo Gaudio (Glen Cove, N.Y).
After the Privateers cut the deficit to 5-3, the Rams used a two-run eighth inning to put the game out of reach and cap off the 7-3 win.
Osborne was 2-for-3 at the plate with 3 RBI, while Gaudio had two hits and scored three runs. Alvino, senior right fielder Michael Marino (Franklin Square, N.Y.) and sophomore third baseman Nick Osburn (East Islip, N.Y.) each added two hits in the victory.
Freshman pitcher Ryan O'Connor (Babylon, N.Y.) recorded his team-leading sixth victory after allowing three runs on eight hits in 5.1 innings of work.
In the game against St. Joe's, the top-seeded Golden Eagles (20-17) jumped out to an early lead after scoring two runs in the top of the first.
In the bottom of the first, senior shortstop Tom Rydzewski (Franklin Square, N.Y.) led off with a double and advanced to third on an Alvino sac bunt. Marino followed with an RBI single to right field to cut the deficit in half. Two batters later, a Domenic Palumbo (Plainview, N.Y.) RBI single through the right side tied the game at 2-2. The Rams added a third run in the inning on an Osborne RBI fielders choice.
After St. Joe's tied the game at 3-3, junior catcher Ryan Jordan (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) scored on a wild pitch in the bottom of the second to regain the lead for Farmingdale State, 4-3.
Senior first baseman Anthony McQuade (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) gave the Rams a 5-3 advantage in the third inning with an RBI single down the left field line.
St. Joe's closed within one before Alvino hit an RBI double down the right field in the sixth to bring the lead back to two, 6-4.
The Rams posted three runs in the seventh and one in the eighth to extend their lead to 10-4. The Golden Eagles only scored one in the ninth as Farmingdale State clinched a berth into the conference finals.
Marino was 3-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI, while Osburn recorded two hits, including a solo home run in the eighth and scored three runs. Nine different Farmingdale State players had at least one hit in the win. Junior Dalton McCarthy (Manorville, N.Y.) earned the win after allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched.
The Rams will now face #2 Old Westbury in the finals tomorrow at 11:00 a.m. If necessary, the second game of the day will begin at 2:00 p.m.
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