THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – It was a brisk Sunday at the Reinhart Baseball Field for Maritime but that didn't stop the team from taking a pair of seven-inning matchups from Southern Vermont as the team earned a 10-0 win in the opener before taking the second game by an 8-7 score.
 
Junior Stephen Semler (Kirkland, Wash./Lake Washington) led the Privateers offensively with six RBIs, while also connecting on his first home run of the season. Junior Connor Alwan (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck), and senior Brian McLaughlin (Massapequa, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) also led the Privateer offense with three hits apiece, as McLaughlin drove in a pair of runs as he had two doubles on the day. Junior Aaron Schiavoni (Sag Harbor, N.Y./Pierson) also had a pair of doubles on the day and registered two RBIs.
 
Junior Tyler Stuart (Palm Coast, Fla./Matanzas) got the start in the opener and did not allow a hit as he struck out five batters in his two innings of work. Freshman Travis Bruinsma (Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) earned the win with two innings of hitless ball in game one as he struck out three. Sophomores Sean McQuail (Middle Village, N.Y./Cathedral Prep) and Alex Poliwoda (Southold, N.Y./Southold), along with freshman Skylar Graff (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) all combined on the game one shutout.
 
In the second game, sophomore A.J. Ammirati (Queens, N.Y./Construction) got the nod and tossed two hitless innings as he struck out three. Freshman Luciano Besh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Franklin Regional) struck out three batters over his inning of work, while classmate Matthew Paghidas (Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) threw two innings on to close out the second game and struck out four batters as he notched his first collegiate win.
 
Game 1
Stuart struck out the side in the opening frame to bring the Maritime offense up for the first time in 2017. Semler was hit by a pitch with two outs in the inning to bring up McLaughlin, who drilled a ball into the left centerfield alley to score a run. Schiavoni followed up and brought McLaughlin around on a high fly double into the left field corner that the wind took for a ride to give the Privateers a 2-0 advantage.
 
After Stuart added another two strikeouts in the second inning to keep the Mountaineers at bay, the Privateer offense put up another crooked number with a five-spot in the second. Senior Joe DiLeo (Naples, Fla./St. John Neumann) reached on a one out walk, followed by Alwan moving him up with a single of his own. Junior Chris Deddo (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) was hit by a pitch to load the bases, before Semler cleared the bases with a double to make it 5-0. Two more runs scored in the frame with one coming on an error, while the other came on the second Schiavoni double in as many at bats.
 
Bruinsma came in to pitch in the top of the third and hung up another zero for the Privateers. The bottom of the inning saw the Privateers net two more runs with a run coming across the plate on an error, while the other came in as freshman Phil Russo (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) drove in Deddo for Maritime's ninth run. The Privateers tacked on their 10th run of the afternoon in the fourth inning as junior Zach Parilla (Shoreham, N.Y./Shoreham-Wading River) drove in McLaughlin who had walked earlier in the inning.
 
McQuail threw a hitless inning in the fifth after coming on for Paghidas, before Poliwoda came on in the sixth and allowed the first Mountaineer hit of the afternoon. Graff took over in the seventh and allowed a pair of two out singles before getting his third strikeout of the frame to give Maritime their first win of the season.
 
Game 2
Ammirati got the start in the second game and struck out one batter without yielding a hit in the opening frame. The Privateer offense got back to work in the bottom of the first inning as sophomore Matt Costleigh (West Islip, N.Y./St. Anthony's), Deddo and Semler all reached to load the bases. McLaughlin drove in the first run with an RBI single, as did senior Sergio Delgado (Union City, N.J./Union City) to put the Privateers ahead by a 2-0 score.
 
Freshman Matt Lobello (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) continued the inning with a bases loaded walk to pick up an RBI, followed by freshman Antonio Diaz (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) adding the first hit and RBI of his career with a base knock up the middle. Alwan capped off the inning with a single to centerfield to plate the fifth Maritime run.
 
Semler led off the bottom of the second inning with a home run to make it a 6-0 lead. McLaughlin followed with a double but was unable to score after a pair of weak groundouts and a pop out.
 
After playing the field in game one, sophomore Matthew Buckshaw (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) took to the hill for his Maritime pitching debut and did not allow a hit over the inning, but four runs did score in the top of the third to trim Maritime's lead back down to two at 6-4. Junior Anthony D'Ancona (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) came on in the fourth and yielded one earned run and three overall but did strike out a pair of batters in the frame.
 
Trailing for the first time all day, Maritime's offense did not respond in either the fourth of fifth innings. Besh struck out the side in the top of the fifth in his collegiate debut, and was followed by Paghidas in the sixth as the Privateers held the deficit to one to bring the Privateer bats back up in the bottom of the sixth.
 
Senior Chris Stewart (Bethpage, N.Y./Chaminade) reached on a fielding error by the Southern Vermont second baseman, followed by a Costleigh single to put two runners on with no outs. Sophomore Joe Scerra (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) bunted the pair into scoring position, followed by Semler driving a ball into deep left centerfield to plate the pair as Semler ended on third with a triple to put the Privateers ahead.
 
Paghidas slammed the door shut in the top of the seventh as he retired the top of the Mountaineer batting order 1-2-3 to seal the sweep for the Privateers.
 
After braving the chilly temperatures of the Reinhart Baseball Field on Sunday afternoon, Maritime (2-0) will head for warmer temperatures in Fort Pierce, Florida with the first matchup featuring the Privateers and the Cougars of Misericordia University. First pitch is slated for 1:30 p.m. from the Bob Gladwin Complex in central Florida.
 
Southern Vermont (2-2) will head west to California and warmer temps as well beginning next Sunday, March 12 when the Mountaineers open up their eight-game California swing with Occidental at 2:00 p.m.