Maritime Powers Past Bears in Rubber Game

THROGGS NECK, NY – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team suffered an 8-3 setback to Maritime College on Saturday morning at Reinhart Field in the third meeting between the squads this season.

When the teams met earlier this season at Reinhart Field, the Bears outlasted the Mariners taking a 3-2 victory in 10 innings in the opener to earn a split of the twinbill.

Maritime (17-15) was powered by three home runs in the contest, the first coming off the bat of Ed Martinez, a two-out, three-run shot in the first that put the Mariners up, 3-1.  St. Joseph's plated a solo run in the top half of the frame on a Joe Mendez (Staten Island, NY/Monsignor Farrell) sacrifice fly that brought home Thomas McKenna (Bellerose, NY/St. Francis Prep) who led off the game with a single.  McKenna later rapped a single in the seventh, the only Bear to record a multi-hit game.

Maritime continued to apply the pressure tacking on solo runs in each of the next two innings to move ahead 5-1, knocking eight of their 14 hits in the first three frames.  The damage could have been worse, the Bears escaping both frames with inning-ending double plays, including a bases loaded jam in the third.

Nicolas Sarna held the Bears to just three hits through five innings, Mike Cundari (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) knocking a single in the fourth to extend his hitting streak to a team-leading 11 games.

Maritime used the long ball again, Nick Galli hitting a two-run shot in the fifth and Albert Doerbecker a solo homer to lead off the sixth, to put the Mariners ahead 8-1.

Rob Mongiori (Jackson Heights, NY/Monsignor McClancy) joined the derby, going yard in the seventh with his first collegiate home run, a two-run blast that brought along Chris Cutrone (Levittown, NY/Island Trees HS) who led off with a single.

Sarna would go seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out six for his fourth win of the season. Donny Pagano (Staten Island, NY/St. Peter's) took the loss for St. Joseph's going five innings and allowing seven runs on 11 hits, striking out one.

St. Joseph's (14-16) returns to the diamond on Sunday, April 29th facing USCAA foe Briarcliffe College in a single-game starting at 1 p.m. at the PAL Complex in Holbrook, NY.