FORT PIERCE, Fla. (March 12, 2026) – The U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team won its third straight game with an 18–4 victory over Heidelberg on Thursday afternoon at Lawnwood Sports Complex. The Mariners improve to 3-1 on the season, while the Student Princes drop to 6-5 overall.
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How It Happened
The Blue and Gray jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first inning when freshman Ryan Melton (Newnan, Ga.) ripped a two-run double down the left field line to give USMMA a 2–0 advantage. Heidelberg answered with a run in the top half of the inning on a passed ball to cut the deficit to 2–1.
Merchant Marine broke the game open in the fourth inning with four runs. Junior Christian Gamez (Kent Island, Md.) delivered an RBI single, then scored on a dropped fly ball to stretch the advantage to 4-1. Sophomore Braden Vazquez (Missouri City, Texas) added a sacrifice RBI and freshman Davin Fulton (Houston, Texas) crossed the plate on a fielding error to extend the lead to 6–1.
Kings Point continued to pile on in the fifth inning as Melton delivered another two-run double to make it 8-1, then freshman Thomas Byrne (Mount Pleasant, S.C.) added an RBI groundout later in the inning, pushing the lead to 9–1.
USMMA added three more runs in the sixth inning to increase the advantage to 12–1. Sophomore Luke Kruer (Sellersburg, Ind.) picked up an RBI on a bases-loaded walk before Melton and Byrne added RBI singles.
Heidelberg responded with two runs in the sixth inning on an RBI single and a sacrifice fly to trim the deficit to 12–3.
The Blue and Gray put the game out of reach with a six-run seventh inning. Vazquez started the rally with an RBI double to right-center, then freshman Axel Prechel (Corvallis, Ore.) followed up with a three-run triple. Melton later added an RBI double before Fulton drew a bases-loaded walk to cap the inning and extend the lead to 18–3.
Heidelberg added one final run on an RBI double in the seventh, but the Mariners' offensive explosion was too much as they picked up the 18-4 victory.
Deeper Look At Box Score
- The Mariners registered a season-high 18 runs and recorded their third straight double-digit hit game, finishing with 13 hits on the afternoon.
- Melton led Kings Point with a game-high five hits, including three doubles and a triple. Vazquez and Kruer both posted two hits each and had a double
- Four players recorded multi-RBI games, and nine players drove in at least one run. Melton led the way with a game-high six RBIs, while Prechel collected three RBIs on his triple. Vazquez and Byrne each drove in two runs while junior Landon Troutt (Fairfield, Calif.), Kruer, Gamez, Davis, and Fulton all added one RBI.
- Melton and Troutt led the Mariners with three runs scored, while junior Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.), Vazquez, Kruer, Davis, and Fulton had all had two.
- Kings Point also received another excellent effort from its pitching staff. Senior Eddie Lippert (Deer Park, N.Y.) earned his first win of the season, tossing six innings, allowing three runs, and striking out three batters. Classmate Charles Cahalan (Overland Park, Kan.) added another solid outing in relief, allowing one run while retiring four of the six batters he faced.
- Vazquez and Gamez picked up the two Kings Point steals on the day.
Merchant Marine suits up again tomorrow morning, Friday, March 13, at 10:00 a.m. at Lawnwood Sports Complex in Fort Pierce, Florida.
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