Rapp Knocks 100th Hit, DiLorenzo Saves Split in Baseball's Skyline Opener at Maritime

THROGGS NECK, N.Y. — Junior Francis Rapp (Baldwin, N.Y./Oceanside) slugged a team-high five hits on the afternoon, including his 100th career hit, and senior Rosario DiLorenzo (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) shut down a Maritime ninth-inning threat in leading the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) baseball team to a road split in their Skyline Conference debut on Saturday afternoon winning the opener 8-7 before dropping a 5-4 decision in game two.

The Basics

• Final Score (Game 1): St. Joseph's 8, Maritime 7
• Final Score (Game 2): Maritime 5, St. Joseph's 4
• Records: St. Joseph's (10-8, 1-1 Skyline), Maritime (12-7, 1-1 Skyline)
• Date: April 2, 2016
• Location: Throggs Neck, N.Y.
• Field: Reinhart Field
• SJC Starters (Game 1): Arroyo (RF), Rapp (SS), Luebcke (P), Condon (C), LoPrinzi (LF), Pallatto (1B), Schwartz (3B), McGreevy (2B), M. Camerada (CF)
• SJC Starters (Game 2): A. Camerada (RF), Rapp (SS), Luebcke (2B), Condon (DH), LoPrinzi (LF), Pallatto (1B), Schwartz (3B), Salem (C), M. Camerada (CF), Brigando (P)

How it Happened in Game 1

• After a scoreless first two innings, St. Joseph's got on the board with two runs in the top of the third. Brian Luebcke broke the scoreless tie with a sac fly before John Condon connected for an RBI single extending his hit streak to eight. But Maritime countered with a two-run bottom half to draw even.
• Michael Camerada's grounder pushed across a run in the fourth the the Bears led 3-2 after through five-and-a-half as starting pitcher Luebcke kept the Privateers tamed. But Paul Woodburn evened the score with a leadoff homer in the bottom half.
• St. Joseph's erupted for five runs on four hits in the seventh. Nicholas LoPrinzi began the rally with a run scoring double. With two men on, Thomas Pallatto then emptied the bases with a three-run shot. The Bears went yard back-to-back Adam Schwartz stepped up next and capped the rally with a solo blast. Both were the first collegiate home runs for Pallatto and Schwartz.
• Maritime rallied back in the bottom of the eighth. Following a leadoff walk, Aaron Schiavoni cleared the fence the cut the deficit to 8-5.
• The Privateers threatened further in the ninth opening the frame with three straight hits, cutting the deficit to two, 8-6, with the tying run on first and no outs. Making only his third appearance in relief Rosario DiLorenzo came in and closed the door on the rally facing four batters and leaving the tying run in scoring position at second.

How it Happened in Game 2

• St. Joseph's opened game two with a three-run first. Brian Luebcke and Thomas Pallatto each recorded RBI goundouts and Nicholas LoPrinzi delivered a run-scoring single.
• Kevin Monahan got one back for the Privateers, leading off the bottom of the first inning with a solo shot.
• Trailing 3-2 in the fifth, Chris Deddo laced a two-run home run to hand Maritime their first lead and they never trailed again. Meanwhile, starter Alex Poliwoda kept the Bears off the board through the sixth.
• Paul Woodburn homered to tack on one more in the sixth, and St. Joseph's entered the final frame trailing 5-3. Michael Camerada led off the inning with his third homer of the season and instantly cut the deficit in half. But Poliwoda buckled down for the next three outs to earn the split.

For the Bears

• Francis Rapp led the Bears with five hits in nine at bats on the afternoon, including his 100th career hit in game two, roping a single down the line in the fifth.
• Nicholas LoPrinzi hit 4-for-8 with one double, recording a pair of hits and one RBI in each end of the doubleheader.
• Thomas Pallatto led St. Joseph's with four RBI on the day, including a three-run shot in game one, his first collegiate home run.
• Adam Schwartz finished the day 4-for-7 also launching his first home run with two runs scored.
• Michael Camerada slugged 2-for-7 with one home run, his third of the season, and two RBI.
• Brian Luebcke improved to 3-0 with the victory in the opener, fanning nine in eight innings. Rosario DiLorenzo prevented a rally in the ninth to earn his first career save.
• Mitch Brigando (2-2) suffered the loss in game two, surrendering five earned and striking out six in six innings of work.

For the Privateers

• Paul Woodburn (5-for-8, 2 HR, 2 RBI, 2R) homered in each end and notched a team-best five hits on the afternoon.
• Chris Deddo (3-for-6, HR, 4 RBI, 2R), Kevin Monahan (4-for-7, HR, 3R) and Aaron Schiavoni (1-for-7, HR) all went deep as well.
• Stephen Semler (4-for-8, 2 2B, 1R) recorded a pair of hits in each end of the twinbill and led the Privateers with a pair of doubles.
• A.J. Ammirati (2-1) took the loss in game one, throwing 6.1 innings, striking out three and allowing four earned runs.
• Alex Poliwoda (3-1) went the distance in game two to earn the victory, holding the Bears to eight hits and four runs.

Inside the Box Score

• St. Joseph's held a slight 21-20 edge in the hitting department, 13 of the them in game one.
• The twinbill saw eight home runs, five of them from Maritime.
• One of the top defensive teams in the country ranked ninth in fielding percentage entering the weekend, the Bears defense remained error-free on the day, while the Privateers committed three miscues.

The Bear Facts

• The Bears, now 10-8, split their Skyline Conference debut. The matched a season-long four-game winning streak with the win in game one.
• In game one, Brian Luebcke extended his reached base safely streak to 17 games and his hitting streak to six games, but both streaks were snapped after game two.
• John Condon's extended his hitting streak to eight games in game one, but also saw it halted in game two..
• Francis Rapp notched his 100th career hit in game two. He needed five hits entering the day and finished the doubleheader 5-for-9. He reaches the milestone in 97 career games and 297 at bats. He is the third Bear to reach the milestone this season joining Nicholas LoPrinzi and Brian Luebcke.
• Rosario DiLorenzo recorded his first career save in the opener and just the second save by the staff this season.
• The all-time series between St. Joseph's and Maritime now stands at 13-9 in favor of the Privateers.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears travel to Jenkintown, Pa. tomorrow, April 2 for a non-conference doubleheader with Penn State-Abington. First pitch is slated for 12 p.m. with live stats available on SJCBears.com.