Box Score PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. (March. 10, 2024) – A five-run deficit after one inning proved too much to overcome as the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team was defeated by No. 7 Denison , 18-3, to open play in the Snowbird Baseball Classic. USMMA drops to 1-4 on the season, while Denison improved to 7-1.
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Junior
Garrett Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.) finished 2-for-3 and freshman
Landon Troutt (Fairfield, Calif.) went 2-for-4 to help pace the Mariners. Senior
Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) went 0-for-3 with a walk and an RBI, while freshman
Christian Gamez (Kent Island, Md.) went 1-for-1 with an RBI single.
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Denison loaded the bases with one out and benefitted from four two-out runs as part of a five-run first inning.
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After freshman
Preston Plank (Flower Mound, Texas) tossed a scoreless second, USMMA promptly followed with two runs in the top of the third. Freshman
Ben Bridges (St. Petersburg, Fla.) set the table with a leadoff single before senior
Brice Garner (Fort Collins, Colo.) reached on a bunt single. Troutt then added a bunt single of his own, but an error on the play allowed a run to score and left the Mariners with runners on second and third with no outs. Reistetter then made it a 5-2 ballgame with an RBI groundout.
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Back-to-back singles started things in the bottom of the third as Denison plated four runs to extend its lead to 9-2.
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The Mariners looked to respond once again in the fourth as a leadoff single and a walk set up runners on first and second with no outs, but a double play helped keep USMMA off the board.
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Denison was held scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, but the Mariners went down 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth before the Big Red made it 11-2 in the bottom of the frame.
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The first three batters reached as the Mariners added a run in the sixth. Sophomore
Ernest Darling (Highland, Ill.) was plunked to start things before Clapsaddle singled to left. Gamez then followed with an RBI single to make it an 11-3 ballgame.
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Denison answered with seven runs in the bottom of the sixth for the final 18-3 margin.
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The Mariners continue play in the Snowbird Baseball Classic on March 11 with a 5 p.m. game against North Central. A live video feed of the game will be available with links on
the USMMA Baseball Schedule Page.
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