Men's Baseball
Men's Baseball News
Baseball Drops 2 of 3 Against Coast Guard in Sunshine State Action
By Jack A. Zolla, Assistant Sports Information DirectorMarch 09, 2010
KINGS
POINT, N.Y.
– The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team opened up the 2010 regular
season with a three-game series against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy in Fort Myers, Fla.
The Mariners grabbed a win in Game 1 of the doubleheader on Sunday, 5-4, but
fell in the second contest, 3-2. In the rubber game on Monday, the Bears were
victorious again, 13-6.
March 7, Game 1:
USMMA 5, Coast Guard 4
Freshman Dustin
Thomsen (Alamogordo, N.M.)
was tabbed as the opening day starter for the Mariners, while junior Jesse Karr (Milan, Mich.)
received the honor for the Bears. The Coast Guard Academy jumped on the
scoreboard first with an unearned run in the bottom of the second inning. USMMA
answered right back in the top of the third with an unearned run of their own.
Sophomore shortstop Frank Pierson (Lansdale, Pa.)
walked and then quickly stole second base. Designated hitter Mike Bybee (Quiedo,
Fla.) singled him over to third, and then
the Lansdale native scored on an error by Coast Guard freshman third baseman Eric Gerken (Tampa, Fla.).
The Bears plated two in the bottom of the fourth on a
two-run home run by junior left fielder Jared
Korn (Brooksville, Fla.) to put Coast Guard ahead 3-1.
Kings Point sophomore left fielder John
Hubach (Avon, Ohio) got one of those runs back when he
doubled in Pierson in the top of the fifth. Following that same rhythm, Coast
Guard grabbed the run back in the bottom of the fifth to go up, 4-2.
However, the Mariners scored three runs in the top of the
sixth, which would be all they needed to seal their first victory of the new
season. An RBI groundout from senior second baseman Travis Christensen (St. Maries, Idaho), an unearned run scored by senior right
fielder Jared Fassnacht (York, Pa.), and a
sacrifice fly by junior center fielder Alex
Wolfe (Sandpoint, Idaho) helped the Merchant Marine
Academy nail down the lid on Coast Guard’s coffin.
For the Mariners, senior pitcher Stanley Schwitalla (Severna Park,
Md.) picked up the win in
relief. He allowed no runs on one hit in 1.1 innings pitched. Sophomore Andy Martin (San Diego, Calif.)
recorded the save (1.2 IP, 0 ER, 2 K). On the offense side, Bybee went 2-for-4
at the plate. As for the Bears, Korn finished the game 1-for-2 with a game-high
three RBI and the contest’s only homer. Karr received the loss (7 IP, 5 R, 2
ER, 4 K).
March 7, Game 2:
Coast Guard 3, USMMA 2
Senior Keith Heine (Floral Park, N.Y.)
started for USMMA in the second game of the doubleheader, while rookie hurler Derek Petty (Parker, Colo.) opened the game on the mound for
the Bears. The second game of the twinbill was a tight fight. The Mariners
scored the first run of the game when Christensen scored on a passed ball in
the bottom of the second inning. The run was unearned.
Two frames later, Coast Guard plated two runs to grab the
lead on a sacrifice fly by sophomore third-bagger Chris Izurieta (Mason, Ohio)
and an RBI single from junior shortstop Graham
Sherman (Richmond, Va.). The Bears tacked on another run in
the top of the fifth when senior second baseman John Jeffares (St. Petersburg,
Fla.) hit into a fielder’s
choice.
Kings Point was able to plate a run in the bottom of the
frame, as Pierson scored on an error by the Coast Guard center fielder.
However, it was not enough as the Bears closed out the win and split the
doubleheader.
For the Merchant Marine Academy, Christensen finished
2-for-2 at the dish, while Pierson and Hubach each went 1-for-3. Heine saw his
record fall to 0-1 on the young campaign (5.0 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 1 ER). In addition,
the hurler struck out eight Bears. For the Coast
Guard Academy,
Petty picked up the win, while freshman Tyler Babkiewich (Golden, Colo.)
recorded the save. Rookie catcher Cameron
Carroll (Reno, Nev.) finished a perfect 4-for-4 at the
plate.
March 8: Coast Guard
13, USMMA 6
In the rubber game of the three-game series between the two
arch rivals, the Coast Guard Academy slugged its way past the Mariners in the
latter innings for the win. USMMA plated a run in each of the bottom of the
first, fourth and sixth innings, while the Bears posted two runs in the top of
the sixth frame. At the end of six, the Mariners led 3-2.
In the top of the seventh though, Coast Guard exploded for
six runs on four hits. The Bears employed a combination of RBI singles,
fielder’s choices and an error to plate the runs. Not showing any quit, Kings
Point fired back with three runs in the bottom of the inning. Wolfe led off the
frame with a triple. He then was able to score on an error by the Coast Guard
first baseman. USMMA junior first baseman Doug
Carter (Chapin, S.C.) added a sacrifice fly and
Fassnacht contributed an RBI single to cut the Bears’ advantage to 8-6.
However, the Coast Guard Academy scored five runs in the top of the eighth and
the Mariners were unfortunately not able to concoct any late-inning comeback
magic.
Freshman starting pitcher Riley Beecher (Elgin, Texas) picked up his first collegiate win for
Coast Guard throwing six innings, while yielding two hits and six runs (two
earned). He also struck out seven batters. Babkiewich went 2-for-4 at the
plate, with three runs scored. Carroll and Korn drove in two runs each. For
Kings Point, rookie reliever Christopher
O’Donnell (Kennesaw, Ga.) was tagged with the loss. The
freshman finished with a line of one inning pitched, one hit allowed, two runs
earned and one strikeout. Sophomore Mark
Thiboldeaux (Lancaster, Pa.) started the game for USMMA and
hurled 5.1 innings (2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 4 K).
Head Coach Mike Notebaert and the Mariners continue their
season-opening trip in the Sunshine
State tomorrow when they
take on St. Lawrence University. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
Name: Chaise Dunn