KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Feb. 23, 2024) – The USMMA baseball team started off the 2024 season in style with a 7-1 victory over the Russell Sage College Gators at Bartoszek Field. With the win, Merchant Marine improved to 1-0 while Sage fell to 0-1 in defeat.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Tyler Reistetter 

Entering his 18th season with the team and 16th season as Mariners head coach, Michael Notebaert came in very high on his group of freshman. In the bottom of the second, Mariners fans found out why their head coach is so ecstatic about the 2024 recruiting class. In his first career at-bat, freshman Ben Taylor (Lexington, Ky.) laced a two-single to right-center field off Gators' starter Liam Doyle to put the Mariners up early 2-0. Taylor's two-RBI hit would be far from his only contribution of the night. USMMA would add an unearned run later in the frame to extend their lead to 3-0 after two innings.
 
One inning later, another plebe put his name on the scoresheet. Freshman Christian Gamez (Kent Island, Md.) notched his first career hit and RBI with a two-out RBI single up the middle Junior Garrett Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.) scored his second run of the night to make it 4-0 Mariners.
 
Four runs were a king's ransom for the Mariners' starting pitcher senior Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas). In his final Opening Night, Reistetter pitched one of the gutsiest games of his collegiate career. USMMA's left-hander overcame six walks to toss six shutout innings on the strength of a career-high 14 strikeouts.
 
After issuing three walks over the first two innings, Reistetter's final four innings were dominant as he fanned 10 Gators. Sage did not get a runner to third base all night against Merchant Marine's starter.
 
With Reistetter out after six strong innings up 4-0, the Mariners' offense went back to work in the bottom of the sixth to support the senior. Taylor drilled his second RBI single of the night to extend the lead to 5-0. What happened next in the bottom of the seventh had everyone at Bartoszek Field on the feet.
 
Fresh off his first-career hit, freshman Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.) launched the first home run of his collegiate career over the left field fence. The crowd and Mariners' dugout could hardly rise to their feet before Chiappetti's laser beam cleared the wall. 6-0 Mariners.
 
USMMA's coaching staff always preaches adding on. That is exactly what Taylor did once more in the home half of the eighth after the Gators got a run back in the top of the inning. Taylor roped his first-career extra-base hit to drive in freshman Daniel Serna (Claremont, Calif.) to restore Kings Point's six-run lead. Taylor finished his first game as a Mariner 3-for-4 with four RBI. Serna had a productive night himself by going 2-for-3 with three runs scored. 
 
In total, the freshman foursome of Chiappetti, Gamez, Serna, and Taylor went a combined 8-for-15 with a home run, four runs scored, and six RBI.
 
Senior Kellen Brown (Fort Pierce, Fla.) put a bow on Opening Night with his first career save. After recording a three-pitch strikeout to end the eighth and leave the bases loaded, Brown pitched a one-two-three ninth with two strikeouts. The senior trio of Reistetter, Brown, and Tommy Payton (Palm Harbor, Fla.) combined to punch out 19 Gators on the night.
 
Brown has now closed out the last two Mariners wins against Sage almost exactly one year apart. Last season on Feb. 26, Brown hit a walk-off RBI triple off familiar foe Liam Doyle in a 3-2 Mariners victory. Tonight, Brown slammed the door with three strikeouts in 1.1 IP.
 
Reistetter earned the win to improve to 1-0 while Doyle took the loss to drop to 0-1.    
 
Next up, the Mariners will host the NYU Violets in a doubleheader at Bartoszek Field on Sunday, Feb. 25. First pitch of the twin bill is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
 
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