Baseball Earns Doubleheader Sweep Over Maritime

Throggs Neck, NY| The St. Joseph's College baseball team opened Skyline Conference play with a pair of wins over Maritime. The Golden Eagles took a thrilling extra-inning win 4-3 in game one before claiming a 13-9 come from behind victory in game two.

SJC improves to 6-7 on the season and 2-0 in Skyline play. The Privateers slide to 11-7 (4-2 Skyline).

Game One

Trailing 2-0 through four innings, the Golden Eagles broke through in the fifth with an RBI groundout by Lou Doria scoring Matt Burnett who singled earlier in the inning. A Maritime fielding error followed allowing Paul Britt to score knotting the game at two.

A solo home run by Maritime's Matt Costleigh started the bottom of the eighth, but SJC's Britt answered with a solo shot of his own in the top half of the ninth sending the game into extras.

Dylan Piscitelli worked a walk to start the tenth and pinch runner Gehrig Montoro stole second moving into scoring position. An infield groundout put Montoro at third before Tyler Costa's sacrifice fly brought him home for a 4-3 lead.

Maritime's Chris Deddo led off the bottom half of the inning with an infield single but was erased trying to steal second. Relief pitcher Joseph Murphy worked around a two-out walk getting Antonio Diaz to foul out for the final out securing the 4-3 win.

Britt led the Golden Eagles at the plate going 4-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored. Costa finished 3-for-4 with an RBI with Anthony Raucci pitching in with two hits.

SJC starter Nick Clemente allowed two runs on four hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work before giving way to Murphy who earned the win allowing one run in four innings of relief.

Game Two

The Golden Eagles fell behind early in game two surrendering seven runs in the bottom of the first. Doria belted a home run to right to start the top of the second and three batters later Matthew Burnett scored on an infield groundout moving the score to 7-2.

A two-run Privateer home run in the bottom half of the inning pushed the lead back to seven, 9-2.

Tyler Crafa, Raucci and Jesse Nakashian provided RBI singles in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 9-6 before a two-run top of the fifth inched the Golden Eagles to within one, 9-8. An unearned run in the top of the sixth tied the score at nine.

Three singles started the top of the seventh loading the bases for Costa who scorched a grand slam over the right-field fence to put the Golden Eagles ahead 13-9.

SJC's Anthony Caminiti surrendered a leadoff double in the seventh but was able to retire the next three Privateers to claim the win.

Raucci turned in a 5-for-5 performance knocking in three runs. Burnett recorded three hits and three runs scored. Louis Fontinha, Tyler Sanderson, and Britt added two hits apiece.

The Golden Eagles return to action when they travel to Kean University on Tuesday, March 27. Game time is slated for 4:00 pm.