KINGS POINT, N.Y. (April 7, 2024) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team extended its winning streak to eight games with a doubleheader sweep against the Farmingdale State Rams in Kings Point this afternoon. With a 1-0 win in Game 1 and an 8-6 victory in Game 2, the Mariners improved to 12-8 (4-0 Skyline) while the Rams dropped to 9-9 (3-3 Skyline) in defeat.
 
Game Links

• Game 1 Box Score
• Game 2 Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Tommy Chiappetti 

Game 1 was a tale of pitching and defense as senior Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) tossed a seven-inning complete game shutout. Reistetter outdueled Farmingdale State's Roman Dorosh to improve to 5-1 on the season with a microscopic 1.05 ERA.
 
What was most impressive about Reistetter's outing was his ability to navigate traffic on the bases. The lefty stranded 10 Rams runners on base over his seven innings including stranding runners in scoring position in five of his seven innings on the mound. The only piece of the puzzle missing for Reistetter? Run support.
 
Roman Dorosh kept Game 1 locked at 0-0 against Reistetter until the bottom of the fifth. After a leadoff double from freshman Daniel Serna (Claremont, Calif.), a sacrifice bunt by sophomore Charles Cahalan (Overland Park, Kan.) advanced Serna to third with one out. The table was set for senior Brice Garner (Fort Collins, Colo.), who was promptly hit by a pitch to cover the corners with one out for freshman Ben Bridges (St. Petersburg, Fla.).
 
With the baton passed to him, Bridges battled to put the ball in play with two strikes and drive in the game's lone run with an RBI fielder's choice to score Serna. A single run was more than enough for Reistetter.
 
Reistetter's key moment in the game came in the top of the sixth when he struck out Sean Maldonado with the bases loaded to escape his final jam of the afternoon. The Rams had at least one baserunner every single inning, but Reistetter bared down on the mound to keep Farmingdale State off the board.
 
On cue, Reistetter struck out three in the top of the seventh to seal the win for USMMA. For the fourth time in six starts this season, Reistetter struck out 10 or more hitters. The three-time Skyline Pitcher of the Week fanned exactly 10, with seven of his punchouts coming in the final three innings as the Mariners stole Game 1.
 
Game 2 was the exact opposite of Game 1 as offense stole the show in the nine-inning affair. After an early pitchers' duel between sophomore Ryan Felton (Granbury, Texas) and Derek Watts early on, the offenses took over for the final six and half innings.
 
An RBI double from freshman Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.) broke the ice in the third, the Rams responded with a run in the fourth and a run in the fifth to take a 2-1 lead. Done after four-plus innings, Felton was relieved by sophomore Eddie Lippert (Deer Park, N.Y.). Lippert stranded the bases loaded in the fifth to keep the deficit at 2-1.
 
Still down 2-1 in the bottom of the sixth, the Mariners' offense erupted against Watts. Kings Point scored six runs in the sixth all with two outs to take a 7-2 lead. A game-tying RBI double by Cahalan was followed by a go-ahead RBI single by Bridges. Junior Jack Millen (Shelby, N.C.) then produced an RBI single of his own to make it 4-2 Mariners.
 
Chiappetti kept the line moving with a two-run double before Reistetter chased in Chiappetti with an RBI single. The Mariners' freshman center fielder finished 2-for-4 in Game 2 with three RBIs.
 
After the Rams roared back with four runs in the eighth inning to cut the deficit to 7-6, junior Garrett Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded for a huge insurance run.
 
Leading 8-6 in the ninth inning, sophomore Caden Pierce (Marietta, Ga.) nailed down the five-out save for his fourth save of the season. Lippert earned the win in relief to improve to 2-0 on the season while Watts suffered his first loss to fall to 3-1 on the year.
 
Despite allowing six runs in Game 2, the Mariners' pitching was clutch all day long. Mariners pitching struck out 16 batters and stranded 21 Rams runners on base over the two games in route to a doubleheader sweep and two huge conference wins.
 
Up next, the Mariners will meet up with the CCNY Beavers once again. On Wednesday, April 10 at 6 p.m., the Mariners will face City College for the second time in six days after beating them 9-7 this past Thursday, April 4. The game will serve as the Mariners' annual 142 Game, where they will honor USMMA's 142 with a brief pre-game ceremony. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Baseball Schedule Page.
 
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