FARMINGDALE, N.Y. (April 1, 2023) – The USMMA baseball team led by five runs in the first game and three runs in the second game of a doubleheader against Old Westbury, but ended up being swept in Skyline Conference action. The Mariners saw a 7-2 lead turn into an 8-7 walk-off loss in game one before a 3-0 lead became a 5-3 game two defeat. USMMA moved to 10-7 (2-2 Skyline), while Old Westbury is now 7-7 (2-0 Skyline).
 
Game Links

• Game 1 Box Score
• Game 2 Box Score

Game 1
Freshman Ernest Darling (Highland, Ill.) went 3-for-4 with a home run and three RBI to lead USMMA, while sophomore Travis Leatherwood (Catonsville, Md.) finished 1-for-3 with an RBI. Junior Tyler Reistetter (Dickinson, Texas) allowed five runs, four earned, in 5.0 innings of work for a no-decision.
 
Darling gave the Mariners an early lead in the second with a one-out solo homer, but the Panthers answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame to grab a 2-1 lead.
 
USMMA responded in a big way in the top of the third, sending 10 men to the plate as part of a six-run inning. Senior Jared Chambers (Houston, Texas) and Leatherwood had back-to-back RBI singles and Darling added a two-run double to highlight the scoring as the Mariners went up by a 7-2 score.
 
Old Westbury chipped away at the USMMA lead, scoring once in the third and twice in the fifth before adding a run in the sixth to make it a 7-6 ballgame with one inning to play.
 
A scoreless top of the seventh left the Mariners just three outs from victory, but the Panthers rallied for a pair of runs and walked-off with an 8-7 triumph.
 
Game 2
Senior Joey Zanetti (Richmond, Va.) went 1-for-5 with a two-run home run, while sophomore Jack Millen (Shelby, N.C.) finished 1-for-4 with a solo blast to pace USMMA. Sophomore Michael Monkevich (Gaithersburg, Md.) surrendered three runs, two earned, and struck out two in 6.0 innings of a no-decision.
 
Just like game one, the Mariners used the long ball to grab an early lead. Following a leadoff single in the third by freshman Charles Cahalan (Overland Park, Kan.), Zanetti launched a two-run homer to left field. Millen then made it back-to-back home runs with a solo blast that gave USMMA a 3-0 lead.
 
Monkevich, meanwhile, tossed 1-2-3 innings in the second and third before Old Westbury made it 3-2 in the fourth after taking advantage of back-to-back doubles to open the frame. The Panthers then benefitted from a two-out error in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3 with an RBI single.
 
The game remained tied until the bottom of the eighth when a leadoff walk set the table for a two-run home run that gave Old Westbury a 5-3 advantage.
 
The USMMA baseball team returns to action on April 6, hosting DeSales for a 7 p.m. game. Live stats and a live video feed of the games will be available on USMMASports.com with links on the USMMA Baseball Schedule Page.
 
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