#1 Farmingdale State - 12, #4 Maritime - 1
Farmingdale, N.Y. - The top-seeded Farmingdale State baseball team cruised past fourth-seeded Maritime, 12-1, in their first game of the Skyline Conference Championship this afternoon. The Rams next will play #2 Merchant Marine on Saturday at noon.
After the Mariners (22-17) got on the board with a run in the top of the first, FSC (30-7) answered with five runs in the bottom of the inning. With runners on first and second, Farmingdale State sophomore catcher Michael Amandola (North Babylon, N.Y.) tallied an RBI single to center to bring home junior center fielder Vincent Napolitano (Bellmore, N.Y.) and tie the game at 1-1. After Ryan DePalma (Albertson, N.Y.) drew a walk to load the bases with one out, junior first baseman Morgan McCarthy (Oceanside, N.Y.) recorded a two-run double to put FSC in front, 3-1. The Rams would add two runs on a throwing error to take a 5-1 advantage.
Leading 7-1 in the fifth after plating two runs in the bottom of the second, Farmingdale State loaded the bases with no one out and used a McCarthy sacrifice fly to take a seven-run advantage.
Following a scoreless sixth, Amandola hit a leadoff ground-rule double in the bottom of the seventh and later scored after stealing third base and reaching home on a throwing error by the catcher. The Rams scored a pair of runs later in the inning on an error and a wild pitch to go up, 11-1.
Farmingdale State's final run came in the eighth on an RBI single up the middle by DePalma to score Napolitano.
Junior Steven Burke (North Babylon, N.Y.) (W, 6-0, 7.0 IP, 6 SO, 2 H, 1 R) and seniors Ryan Mallon (Deer Park, N.Y.) (1.0 IP, 2 SO, 1 H) and Logan Hicks (Ekron, KY) (1.0 IP, 1 SO, 0 H) held the Mariners to just three hits in the game as FSC earned the 12-1 victory.
McCarthy went 3-for-4 with three runs batted in and two runs scored, while Napolitano tallied three hits, including a double and three runs scored. Amandola registered three hits, two runs scored and an RBI and junior right fielder Vincent Rice (Massapequa Park, N.Y.) finished 1-for-3 with two walks and two runs. DePalma produced one hit, one walk, an RBI and a run scored, while junior second baseman Tyler Schrimpf (Miller Place, N.Y.) added two hits in the victory.
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