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AUBURN, N.Y. (May 29, 2021) – Facing elimination with a loss, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team was trailing 6-0 going into the bottom of the eighth inning against Keystone College before an improbable and unbelievable comeback resulted in a 7-6 win over the Giants on Saturday evening. With the win, the Mariners (18-4) live to see another day in the NCAA Division III Auburn Regional, while Keystone ends the year with a 22-6 record.
 
The Mariners scored four runs in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a three-RBI double to right-center by junior Zac Skov (San Clemente, Calif.). Then Skov move over to third on a groundout before scoring on a wild pitch.
 
After loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the ninth, freshman Jack Millen (Shelby, N.C.) tied the game with a two-RBI single and the Mariners loaded the bases again. Then it appeared the Mariners had won on a one-out, walk-off balk. However, after celebrations and an over 10 minute discussions between the umpires and head coaches, it had been decided that it was actually just a ball and not a balk. So with a 3-2 count, freshman Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) ended the game with a sacrifice fly to left field that plated junior Brayden O'Connell (Beaver Dams, N.Y.), leading to the second walk-off celebration in just under 15 minutes for the Mariners.
 
Junior Quinton Heck (Massillon, Ohio) earned the victory for the Mariners on the mound, as he moves to 5-0 on the season – with every win coming out of the bullpen. He tossed 1.1 scoreless innings with two hits allowed and one strikeout.
 
In the bottom of the first, Keystone opened the scoring thanks on an RBI-single by senior Adam Kelly. The Giants lead grew to 3-0 on an RBI-single by junior Vince Montone in the third inning and a run on a Mariner error in the fourth.
 
In the bottom of the sixth, Keystone added two more runs of insurance by way of a double and a sacrifice fly. And Senior Nick Carlini scored the run to make it 6-0 Keystone in the eighth, on a sacrifice fly by.
 
After the Mariners battled all the way back to tie the score on Millen's two-RBI single in the ninth, with the bases loaded again and one out, a balk was called on the Giants' pitcher that seemingly ended the game.
 
Upon review of the call some minutes later, however, the umpires elected to reverse the balk call and the teams took the field again.
 
After the confusion and restart of the game, the Mariners saw just one pitch and won the contest on the walk-off sacrifice fly, 7-6.
 
Senior Ben Kane (Huntington Beach, Calif.) started for Merchant Marine and allowed three runs (two earned), six hits, a walk and three strikeouts in five innings of work. Classmate Andrew Hunt (Severna Park, Md.) also allowed three runs and five hits, before Heck took home the win, shutting the door on the Giants, allowing just two hits in 1 1/3 innings.
 
Freshman Julian got the start for Keystone, and threw seven-plus strong innings, allowing four runs, four hits, three walks and struck out two. Senior Matt Tarabola threw a scoreless inning, striking out one, but it was freshman Nick Gravel taking the loss, pitching 2/3 of an inning, allowing three runs, three hits, two walks and struck out one. The runs were the first Gravel had allowed all season.
 
The Mariners, 2-1 in the double-elimination tournament, move on to face undefeated Tufts, who is 2-0 in the tourney, on Sunday morning beginning at 11 a.m. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Baseball Schedule Page. The updated Auburn Regional schedule is also available on the Tournament Website, set up by host Wells College, at this link.
 
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