Staten Island, NY | The College of Staten Island baseball team was back on the diamond today, taking in a non-conference doubleheader against SUNY-Maritime in an afternoon set played at Curtis High School. On a day when the wind chills plummeted the temperatures throughout the late afternoon, CSI was able to take a 4-3 win in the opening game, before falling to the Privateers, 10-1, in the late game, salvaging a split. With the even weekend, CSI leveled to 4-4 overall, while Maritime moved to 5-6.
GAME 1 – Staten Island 4, SUNY-Maritime 3
The opening game was a testament to good pitching and timely hitting by both teams. For the Dolphins, they employed a pitching by committee gameplan, and starter Kevin Ryan got through two scoreless frames, including a two-runner jam in the second, before John Esposito threw a perfect third frame. By the fourth inning, CSI’s Christian Capellan had a turn on the mound and also was able to exit after giving up a hit, meanwhile, Maritime starter A.J. Ammirati continued to be efficient, and despite giving up a double to Sean Becker to put runners at second and third, he was able to wiggle out and induce a two-out ground ball to end the threat, holding the game to 0-0 going into the fifth inning.
There, CSI gave the ball to Alexis Santos, and the freshman forced three-straight ground-outs to make it a quick inning. With little time in the dugout, Ammirati went our for his fifth inning of work on the hill and this time, CSI finally cashed in with runners on base.
Michael Ciancio looped a single right over first base to get things started, and was then advanced to second on a Michael Crocco sacrifice bunt. Then, Robert Miglino, the third freshman up in the frame, scorched a base hit up the middle of the infield, scoring Ciancio to finally break the ice. Junior Jett Nouvertne then attacked the very first pitch in his at-bat, legging out a triple to straight-away center that easily scored Crocco. Ammirati then gave way to Nick Fortunato. Maritime’s fielding then let them down, as they then proceeded to make two straight infield errors, scoring Nouvertne in the process. With Anthony DiMarco at third base, Nicholas Meola grounded out to score another run to make it 4-0. Fortunato got out of the inning the rest of the way unscathed, but the damage had certainly been done.
CSI was able to hang on for the win, but not without a sizable scare. Maritime would immediately respond in the top of the 6th with a run against Santos, as Phil Russo legged out an infield hit that would score Matt Eng. After CSI went quietly in their turn of the sixth, it set the stage for a wild seventh inning.
Eric Benedetto started the save situation for CSI, but was pulled quickly after walking Antonio Diaz and Nick McTighe. Salvatore Trancucci stepped in from there, but he promptly gave up a single to Ryan Rockhill to load the bases with no one out. On the next at-bat, Adam Mosca hit a slow dribbler back to the pitcher’s mound, but an error on the play allowed a run to score, keeping the bases loaded with no one out. Trancucci struck back by registering a strikeout, but on the next at-bat, Joe Scerra also hit a slow roller to third, that registered as an infield hit and made it 4-3, leaving the bases loaded with just one out.
CSI then went to their third reliever of the inning, junior Andrew Nathan, who started the game as the designated hitter. On a 2-1 pitch, Russo roped one straight back to Nathan, who quickly threw it back to the plate to get the force-out at home and Becker lasered one to first base to narrowly beat Russo to end the threat, and the game, at 4-3.
Santos was the pitcher of record, tossing two innings, allowing an earned run on three hits, while Nathan garnered the save, his second of the season. Ammirati took the loss, going 4.1 innings, allowing three runs, two earned, on seven hits, fanning five. Maritime out-hit CSI, 8-7. Getting two hits from Scerra, while CSI got two hits from Becker, both of them doubles.
Game 2 – Maritime 10, Staten Island 1
In a polar opposite of game one, Maritime got on the board early, and stayed there, in the second tilt of the doubleheader. CSI starter Joseph Decelie would be unable to get out of the first inning, yielding a pair of walks and a two-RBI single to Scerra to open the game. Two more walks loaded the bases and scored another and CSI’s Daniel Garcia came in to end the threat in the first but not before Maritime had a 4-0 lead.
The lead proved plenty for Maritime starter Ryan Ragone, who pitched six solid innings, allowing just one earned run on four hits, fanning seven. The CSI run came in the fourth inning. Down 5-0, Nouvertne hit his second triple of the afternoon, and his fourth of the season, to lead off, and later came in to score on a Nathan RBI-ground-out.
CSI reliever Joseph Titta came on throw a scoreless fifth, but CSI couldn’t capitalize in their turn of the inning, and in the top of the sixth, Maritime added three more runs, highlighted by an Angelo Brucculeri RBI line-drive to center field. For extra measure, the Privateers added two runs in the seventh, helped along by two Dolphins errors, part of four in the game and six total on the afternoon for CSI.
Maritime out-hit CSI, 12-4, in the second contest, getting a 3-5 performance from Jake Vera, who added three RBI as well. Eng and Russo each tallied two hits.
CSI will next be in action on Tuesday at 4pm for a single, non-conference, tilt at Kean University.
