BRONX, N.Y. (April 21, 2024) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team brought the bats on Sunday in pummeling Mount Saint Vincent by a 21-3 score in Game 1 of a doubleheader at Roberto Clemente Park in the Bronx. The Mariners then staged a late-inning comeback to turn back the Dolphins in the second game of the doubleheader by a 5-4 score, securing the Sunday sweep. USMMA is now 20-10 overall with an 11-1 record in Skyline Conference play while UMSV falls to 11-16 overall and 6-6 in league games.
 
Game Files

• Game 1 Box Score
• Game 2 Box Score

 
Game 1

USMMA took an early 2-0 lead after the first inning of play as the first three hitters reached base with an RBI single coming off the bat of Garrett Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.) to plate the first run of the contest. Following a double play, senior Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) drove home another run by plating Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.) with an RBI single. Reistetter was the Mariners' starting pitcher in the opening game of the doubleheader and navigated his way through a three-run first inning as the Dolphins scored three runs on two sacrifice flies and a wild pitch. That would be the only offense for UMSV in the first game, as Merchant Marine struck back with a five-run frame in the second inning. Rookie Landon Troutt (Fairfield Park, Calif.) tied the score with a one-out RBI single but was thrown out at second base trying to stretch the hit into a double. Singles by Clapsaddle, Chiappetti, and Jack Millen (Shelby, N.C.) set the stage for junior Travis Leatherwood (Catonsville, Md.) to clobber a grand slam over the center field wall to give USMMA a 7-3 lead.

The offense continued to churn for Kings Point as Millen knocked in a pair of runs with a single in the third inning and then scored on a Chiappetti single that turned into a three-base error by the Dolphins to extend the lead to 10-3. A run-scoring single from Charles Cahalan (Overland Park, Kan.) in the fourth inning put the Mariners ahead by eight runs and a two-run home run by Millen gave KP a 13-3 lead after five innings. The Mariners would then put up a crooked number in the sixth inning, with eight runs crossing home plate beginning with a home run by Reistetter off UMSV reliever Tyler Kropp. Troutt and Chiappetti would drive in runs with singles before Clapsaddle drew a bases-loaded walk to make the game a 17-3 affair. After an RBI groundout from Leatherwood, Cahalan plated two more runs on a single and Brice Garner (Fort Collins, Colo.) drove in the game's final run on an error at third base.

Lost in the shuffle of the offensive onslaught was Reistetter's pitching performance. The reigning Skyline Conference Pitcher of the Year settled down after a shaky first inning to pitch four innings of the seven-inning contest, earning the win with four strikeouts on the day. The victory goes down as Reistetter's 19^th career win on the bump, tying him with 2019 graduate Andrew Spinnenweber for the most wins in a career in program history. Senior Kellen Brown (Fort Pierce, Fla.) struck out two batters in his two innings of relief and first-year southpaw Chris Viggiano (Seaford, N.Y.) recorded a strikeout in his one inning of work for the Mariners. USMMA collected 21 hits in the contest, with Millen and Chiappetti each accounting for four of those base hits separately. Leatherwood had a game-high five RBIs with Millen driving in four runs on the afternoon and Cahalan plating three on three hits.
 
Game 2

USMMA staked freshman starter David Cherwonuk (Chattanooga, Tenn.) to an early 2-0 lead thanks to an RBI single from Chiappetti and a sacrifice fly off the bat of Leatherwood. The Dolphins cut the deficit by a run in the third inning, with Dom Porto drawing a one-out walk and then stealing second and third before coming home on Johnny Brucato's run-scoring single. UMSV then took a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning with Porto driving in the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly and Brucato collecting a run-scoring single to extend the hosts' lead.
 
The score remained 4-2 until the seventh inning as Cahalan led off the frame with a double to left field and then rounded the bases on a passed ball and wild pitch. That would be the only run for USMMA in the top of the seventh as the Mariners trailed by a 4-3 score. With reliever Jake Bland on the hill for UMSV in the eighth inning, Merchant Marine plated the game-tying and eventual game-winning run. Millen started the inning by reaching on a two-base error and advancing to third on a passed ball. Chiappetti and Clapsaddle would strike out with the game-tying run on third before Leatherwood reached on an error by the shortstop to tie the game. Reistetter came to the plate and delivered a single to center field which was misplayed, allowing pinch runner Frank Ruepp (Valdosta, Ga.) to score all the way from first base to give the Mariners a 5-4 lead. The Dolphins were sent down in order in the bottom of the eighth and ninth innings as USMMA held on for the comeback victory.
 
Cherwonuk struck out seven batters in his four innings of work as senior Tommy Payton (Palm Harbor, Fla.) tossed three scoreless innings with three strikeouts and was the pitcher of record to earn his first win on the season. Junior Jacob Syversen (Land O'Lakes, Fla.) and sophomore Eddie Lippert (Deer Park, N.Y.) pitched the final two innings of hitless baseball with a strikeout apiece; Lippert earned his first career save with the 1-2-3 ninth inning. Cahalan, Millen, and Reistetter combined for six of the Mariners' nine hits in the victory with Chiappetti and Leatherwood both driving in runs as USMMA's other three runs scored were all unearned.
 
Merchant Marine returns to Bartoszek Field on Wednesday, April 24 for a non-conference match-up against the Eagles of Saint Elizabeth University. First pitch is scheduled for 6 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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