FORT MYERS, Fla. (March 15, 2024) – Trailing 8-2 through six innings, the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team rallied for seven runs in the seventh en route to defeating Franklin & Marshall, 10-8, at the Cusic Classic. USMMA improved to 3-6 with the win, while Franklin & Marshall dropped to 3-10.
 
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• Box Score

Freshman Ben Bridges (St. Petersburg, Fla.) went 4-for-5 with four RBI, and sophomore Ernest Darling (Highland, Ill.) finished 1-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored to lead the Mariners. Freshman Landon Troutt (Fairfield, Calif.) was 1-for-3 with two RBI, two walks and a run scored, while junior Garrett Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.) went 1-for-4 with a double and two runs. Sophomore Ryan Felton (Granbury, Texas) earned the win after allowing three runs and striking out five in 6.0 innings of relief.
 
The Diplomats took control early as a two-run triple helped Franklin & Marshall open a 5-0 lead in the first inning.
 
Franklin & Marshall added a run in the second against Felton for a 6-0 lead, but USMMA responded with a run in the bottom of the frame. Darling walked to lead off the inning and stole second before Bridges made it a 6-1 ballgame with an RBI single.
 
Felton kept Franklin & Marshall off the board over the next three innings, but the Diplomats tacked on a pair of runs in the sixth to grab an 8-1 advantage.
 
The Mariners answered immediately in the bottom of the frame as a Clapsaddle leadoff double set up a Bridges RBI single that brought USMMA to within 8-2.
 
The first five batters reached in the bottom of the seventh as USMMA rallied to take the lead with a seven-run outburst. After back-to-back walks to start the inning, senior Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) collected an RBI single before a walk loaded the bases with no outs. Darling made it 8-5 with a two-run single before a one-out single by freshman Ricardo Olivares (Flower Mound, Texas) loaded the bases once again. Bridges added an RBI groundout before Troutt tied the game with a two-run single. Freshman Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.) followed with an RBI single as the Mariners took a 9-8 lead.
 
Bridges collected his fourth hit of the game in the eighth, an RBI single that made it a 10-8 ballgame.
 
Sophomore Caden Pierce (Marietta, Ga.) worked a scoreless ninth for his first save of the season.
 
The Mariners finish their Florida trip on March 16 with a 9 a.m. first pitch against Haverford. A live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Baseball Schedule Page.
 
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