THROGGS NECK, N.Y. – Senior Brian McLaughlin (Massapequa, N.Y./St. John the Baptist) had a historic afternoon on Sunday at the Reinhart Baseball Field as the first baseman clubbed a pair of home runs on the day to give him 12 all-time to move into sole possession of first place. McLaughlin led the Privateers with three RBIs on the day as he helped the team to a pair of victories over the Mount St. Vincent Dolphins by the scores of 8-7 and 5-0.
 
In the opener the Privateers needed to come back from an early 4-0 and a 7-4 deficit but won the game in their final at bat as freshman Phil Russo (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) connected on the game-winning single to right centerfield. The second game was a matchup dominated by sophomore right-hander A.J. Ammirati (Queens, N.Y./Construction), who yielded just one hit and shut out the Dolphins for his third win of the season.
 
McLaughlin was 4-for-6 at the plate overall on the afternoon and scored three runs, while junior Chris Deddo (Staten Island, N.Y./Tottenville) led the team with five hits on the day and scored three runs while driving in a pair. Freshmen Antonio Diaz (Freeport, N.Y./Freeport) and Russo each had three hits on the day as well for Maritime with Russo driving in two RBIs.
 
Juniors Stephen Semler (Kirkland, Wash./Lake Washington) and Aaron Schiavoni (Sag Harbor, N.Y./Pierson) also had home runs on the afternoon and drove in two runs apiece. Sophomore Matt Costleigh (West Islip, N.Y./St. Anthony's) scored three runs, while junior Connor Alwan (Annapolis, Md./Broadneck) had two hits. Senior Chris Stewart (Bethpage, N.Y./Chaminade) connected on one hit in his four at bats.
 
While Ammirati pitched a complete game in the second matchup, junior Anthony D'Ancona (Bronx, N.Y./Cardinal Spellman) pitched the opener and allowed two earned runs over 7 2/3 innings. Sophomore Matthew Buckshaw (Oakdale, N.Y./Connetquot) tossed 1/3 of an inning before junior Brian Hughes (Maspeth, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) and freshman Skylar Graff (Syosset, N.Y./Syosset) got the final three outs in the top of the ninth as Graff registered his first career win ahead of the comeback victory.
 
Game 1
The opening inning was sloppy for the Privateers as the team committed two errors allowing the Dolphins to take an early 4-0 lead with no runs charged to D'Ancona. The right-hander mowed down Mount St. Vincent through the next three innings to keep Maritime in the game heading to the bottom of the frame.
 
Deddo led off the fourth with a single followed by a base knock from Semler, McLaughlin was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Russo brought home the first Privateer run with an RBI ground out before Alwan picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly. Schiavoni was up next and sent a ball to straightaway center that was headed for the top of the fence that glanced off the fielder's glove and over the wall for a two-run home run to tie the game.
 
After a scoreless fifth inning, the Dolphins regained the lead with a solo home run off of D'Ancona in the top of the sixth. Mount St. Vincent's lead increased to 7-4 in the top of the eighth. Maritime got a run back in the bottom of the inning as McLaughlin connected on his sixth home run of the year to register the modern-day single-season home run record to pull Maritime back within two.
 
Hughes and Graff got through the top of the ninth as a failed suicide squeeze cost the Dolphins an out and bring up the Privateers in the bottom of the inning trailing by a pair.
 
Costleigh got the rally started in the bottom of the ninth with a one-out walk followed by Deddo connecting on a seeing-eye single up the middle. After the second out was recorded, McLaughlin singled to right field and two errors by the Dolphins on the play allowed both Costleigh and Deddo to score as the game was tied at seven. After taking the first pitch for a ball, Russo deposited a single into right centerfield as McLaughlin raced around from second to score the game-winning run.
 
Game 2
Ammirati faced the minimum in the opening inning including the first of his season-high eight strikeouts.
 
In the bottom of the inning Deddo got the inning going with a one-out single and moved up to second one a wild pitch. Semler was up next and drilled a home run to right field as he recorded his sixth home run of the season to tie McLaughlin on the single-season list at six apiece this year.
 
The 2-0 lead proved to be all Maritime needed as Ammirati plowed through the second and third innings with ease. In the bottom of the third McLaughlin homered for the second time on the day and for the 12th time in his career as he passed Matthew Sollin '15 on the all-time home run list as Sollin finished with 11 for his career.
 
Costleigh reached on another walk with two outs in the bottom of the fourth inning and later stole second. Deddo singled through the left side as Costleigh scored to increase the Maritime lead to 4-0.
 
As Ammirati continued to roll in the top half of innings with two strikeouts in the fifth and another in the sixth, the Privateer offense also roll as Diaz singled then moved up to second on a passed ball but later erased on a caught stealing. Costleigh walked and stole second before Deddo laced a bullet to second base and made it into the outfield as Costleigh darted home with the fifth Privateer run.
 
In the top of the seventh, Ammirati got the three Dolphin batters on just six pitches to finish his second complete game of the season and fourth of his career.
 
Up Next
With the pair of wins the Privateers have clinched a berth in the Skyline Conference postseason for the sixth consecutive season and also ties the program record for conference wins at 11, tying last season's mark. Maritime still has five conference games left to play, including a make-up date with St. Joseph's (Bklyn), a pair with Yeshiva and the originally scheduled doubleheader against Farmingdale on Saturday, April 29.
 
Maritime (19-10, 11-2 Skyline) will look to reschedule the St. Joseph's (Bklyn) game at some point this week before the Farmingdale doubleheader.
 
Mount St. Vincent (8-27, 4-12 Skyline) will wrap-up conference play next Saturday, when the team hosts Old Westbury at Silver Lake Park in West Harrison, N.Y. beginning at 5:30 p.m.