KINGS POINT, N.Y. (April 14, 2024) - The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team made history this afternoon by winning their twelfth and thirteenth games in row in a doubleheader sweep over the Purchase Panthers. With a 2-1 walk-off win in 13 innings in Game 1 and a 5-4 walk-off win in Game 2, the Mariners improved to 17-8 (8-0 Skyline) while the Panthers fell to 12-14 (4-4 Skyline) in defeat.

Game 1 was an instant classic as two seniors squared off on the mound. Senior Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) went toe-to-toe with Myles Scarry of Purchase in an all-time great pitchers' duel. Both Reistetter and Scarry were in control on the bump as neither offense could break the ice.

As the game moved from the early innings to the middle innings and onto to the late innings, the score remained locked at 0-0. It simply become a matter of who was going to blink first. Reistetter and Scarry matched each other strikeout for strikeout and zero for zero as the tension increased at Bartoszek Field. Along with tension, pitch counts also increased rapidly for Reistetter and Scarry as the two would end up throwing a career-high number of pitches in Game 1.

Still scoreless in the top of the seventh, the Panthers got some traffic on the bases against Reistetter. After a walk and single set up first and second with one out, Purchase's second baseman Trevor Zanderzuk snuck a ball into left field that brought in the first run of the game.

Heading to the bottom of the seventh down 1-0, the Mariners were in desperate need of a run with only three outs to work with. More than a run, USMMA was searching for its first hit.

On the other side of the coin leading 1-0, Scarry had a chance to win the duel in the bottom of the seventh and complete a seven-inning no-hitter to snap the Mariners' 11-game winning streak.

Junior Travis Leatherwood (Cantonsville, Md.) led off in the seventh by getting hit by a pitch. Two batters later, sophomore Charles Cahalan (Overland Park, Kan.) struck out on a wild pitch that pushed the tying run and pinch runner freshman Frank Ruepp (Valdosta, Ga.) to second base.

Down to the final out, the Mariners had one more chance to tie the game and break up Scarry's seven-inning no-hit bid. The game rested on the right-handed bat of senior Brice Garner (Fort Collins, Colo.). Garner came through on a 1-1 pitch and lined it into right field to score Ruepp and tie the game at 1-1. Bartoszek Field erupted into a frenzy.

After Garner's game-tying hit, the game went to extra innings and returned to your regularly scheduled program of the pitchers' duel between Reistetter and Scarry. The two matched zeroes in the eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings and kept piling up the strikeouts. In total, the Panthers and Mariners struck out a combined 33 times in Game 1.

Refusing to let the game and his team's win streak slip away, Reistetter emptied the tank and delivered a career-high 11 innings on the mound. When all was said and done for Reistetter, he struck out a career-high 17 batters on a career-high 181 pitches and earned a no-decision. Why? Because Myles Scarry was just as good.

Scarry ended up tossing 12 innings on 195 pitches and struck out 14 Mariners. Like Reistetter, Scarry served his team a magnificent outing, but the game was to be decided by the bullpens.

In total Reistetter and Scarry combined to pitch 23 innings, strike out 31 batters, and throw 376 pitches.

In relief of Reistetter came sophomore Eddie Lippert (Deer Park, N.Y.). He did not quite match Reistetter's 181 pitches, but Lippert came through on the mound with two scoreless innings with one strikeout and no walks on 36 pitches.

With Scarry out after 12 innings the Mariners looked to end the marathon game in inning number 13 against reliever Justin Doskoez. Garner, who had three of the Mariners' four hits in Game 1, singled with one out to get the wheels turning. Freshman Ben Bridges (St. Petersburg, Fla.) laid down a sacrifice bunt to move Garner to second carrying the winning run.

The table was set for freshman Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.). With his family in attendance from the desert, Chiappetti knocked a 2-2 pitch up the middle to chase in Garner with the game-winning run. Chiappetti's first career walk-off hit won the Mariners game number 12 in a row to tie the 2018 team for the program record.

The game ended with 425 total pitches thrown. 217 by Reistetter and Lippert and 208 by Scarry and Doskoez. Little did the Mariners and Panthers know they were in for almost as much drama in Game 2.

Eager to avenge their loss in Game 1, Purchase jumped out to 4-0 lead in the fifth inning. Game 2 turned into a seven-inning game after Game 1 went to extra innings, so the Mariners only had nine outs to work with trailing by four.

Quick to respond, the Mariners got on the board thanks an RBI single by Bridges to cut the deficit to 4-1. Looking for more, junior Jack Millen (Shelby, N.C.) chased Bridges home with an RBI triple to cut the Panthers' lead to 4-2. Purchase's Game 2 starter Alex Doskoez, bother of Justin Doskoez, kept his team in front 4-2 headed to the sixth.

In the bottom of the sixth, freshman Christian Gamez (Kent Island, Md.) brought Kings Point within a run with an RBI single to score junior Garret Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.). USMMA fed off the momentum they had built in the bottom of the seventh. A Chiappetti one-out double was followed by back-to-back walks to Millen and Reistetter to load the bases with Clapsaddle coming up.

It was not pretty, but it was effective. Clapsaddle blooped a ball to second base that Zanderzuk lost in the sun. Instead of a popout, Clapsaddle's bloop turned into a game-tying fielder's choice as Chiappetti scored the tying run and Reistetter was forced at second base.

After Clapsaddle stole second to take the force out of play at second, up came Travis Leatherwood with a chance to do what Chiappetti did in Game 1: play walk-off hero with his family in the stands.

On a 2-2 pitch, Leatherwood lined a fastball down the right field line to bring in Millen with the winning run. Two wins, two walk-offs, and history in Kings Point as USMMA Baseball won 13 straight for the first time in program history in unforgettable fashion.

With their sights now set on 14 wins in a row, the Mariners will turn their attention to welcoming Bard College to Bartoszek Field on Tuesday, April 16. First pitch is set for 5:30 p.m. and live stats and a live video feed of the doubleheader will be available with links on the USMMA Baseball Schedule Page.
 
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