KINGS POING, N.Y. (April 27, 2022) – The USMMA baseball team had an offensive explosion in their final non-conference game of the regular season on Wednesday. Merchant Marine pounded out 18 runs on 12 hits en route to a mercy rule-shortened 18-5, seven-inning win over the City College of New York. USMMA with win improved to 21-15 overall and elevated their record at Bartoszek Field to 15-6. The Beavers in turn fell to 5-23 overall in defeat.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Junior Ryan Novakowski
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Freshman Danny Heck 

The Mariners scored early and often on the afternoon, plating at least two runs in every inning.
 
A six-run bottom of the first put Merchant Marine on top 6-1 and they never looked back. USMMA's offensive barrage was fueled by 12 stolen bases. Junior Joey Zanetti (Richmond, Va.) accounted for four of the swiped bags and improved his season total to 24. Zanetti is now two stolen bases away from tying Jacob Sithong '18's single season record of 26 set in 2018.
 
Zanetti's speed was on display at the plate as well. Merchant Marine's leadoff man socked a two-run triple to center field in the fourth to put the Mariners up 12-5 at the time. The triple was Zanetti's fifth of the season which puts him one triple away from tying the Mariners' single season triples record of six held by Chris Ketterer (1992) and Rob Dziegielewski (1995).
 
Freshman Travis Leatherwood (Catonsville, Md.) led the Mariners offensively by going 2-for-4 with four RBIs. Leatherwood drove in all four runs driven in were with two outs on the strength of a two-run single in the second and a two-run double in the sixth. Since being slotted in the six-spot in the batting order on April 16, Leatherwood is 9-for-22 with 12 RBIs.
 
Freshman Jack Millen (Shelby, N.C.) and senior Noah Herdman (Naperville, Ill.) supported Leatherwood's efforts with two RBIs apiece.
 
Multiple Mariners manned the mound for head coach Michael Notebaert. In what was a bullpen game, six Mariners pitchers got valuable work in with a huge weekend around the corner. Senior starter Billy Todd (Gastonia, N.C.) tossed a two-strikeout first inning, but the story of the day on the mound was junior Ryan Novakowski (Hillsdale, N.J.).
 
In his first action since 2020, Novakowski earned the win by pitching three scoreless innings and striking out three Beavers. Novakowski improved to 1-0 on the season while, Richard Vento dropped to 0-4 in defeat for CCNY.
 
The icing on the cake for the Mariners was supplied by freshman Danny Heck (Massillon, Ohio). In his first career collegiate game, Heck hit a ringing RBI-double in his first ever at-bat to plate fellow freshman Millen and extend the lead to 14-5 at the time.
 
Up next for the Mariners is a massive in-conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon, April 30. USMMA is set to host Farmingdale State with seeding in the Skyline Conference at stake. Both teams will enter Saturday's twin bill at Bartoszek Field with 11-5 in-conference records. First pitch is scheduled for high noon in Kings Point. 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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