KINGS POINT, N.Y. (May 8, 2025) – Seven players registered multi-RBI games as the top-seeded U.S. Merchant Marine Academy baseball team had a pair of five-run innings and surged to a 20-4 victory against Mount Saint Mary in the Skyline Championships. USMMA improved to 27-13, while Mount Saint Mary fell to 21-17-1.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• WATCH: Postgame Interview With Freshman Luke Kruer 

Freshman Luke Kruer (Sellersburg, Ind.) finished 3-for-3 with two home runs, two RBIs, two walks and five runs scored to help lead the Mariners. Freshman Braden Vazquez (Missouri City, Texas) was 3-for-4 with four RBIs, senior Garrett Clapsaddle (Murphy, N.C.) went 3-for-3 with three RBIs and freshman Ben Taylor (Lexington, Ky.) was 1-for-1 with a three-run home run.
 
Sophomores Landon Troutt (Fairfield, Calif.) and Tommy Chiappetti (Buckeye, Ariz.), and senior Danny Heck (Massillon, Ohio) added two RBIs apiece. Freshman Cody White (San Diego, Calif.) earned the win after striking out six and allowing four runs in 5.0 innings.
 
The Knights quickly took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first after opening the game with three-consecutive singles.
 
USMMA answered promptly with a two-out rally in the bottom of the frame. The first two batters were retired before Chiappetti extended the inning with an infield single. Clapsaddle then tied the game with an RBI double before Heck put the Mariners up, 2-1, with an RBI single.
 
The Mariners sent nine men to the plate and broke the game open with a five-run fourth. Kruer led off with a single and stole second before junior Charles Cahalan (Overland Park, Kan.) was plunked. Sophomore Christian Gamez (Kent Island, Md.) and Vazquez followed with back-to-back RBI singles and a walk to Troutt loaded the bases. Chiappetti added a two-run single and Clapsaddle made it a 7-1 ballgame with a sacrifice fly.
 
Mount Saint Mary made it 7-2 with a two-out RBI double in the fifth, but USMMA sent nine more men to the plate in the bottom of the inning and put up another five-spot. Kruer led off the inning by launching a home run to left. Cahalan then walked and Gamez singled before Vazquez added an RBI single and Troutt tacked on a two-run single. Troutt stole second and Clapsaddle gave USMMA a 12-2 advantage with an RBI single.
 
The Knights scored twice in the sixth as a single and back-to-back doubles made it a 12-4 game.
 
After adding a run in the sixth on a bases-loaded walk to Vazquez, USMMA tacked on three more runs in the seventh. Clapsaddle was plunked to start things and Heck followed with an RBI double. Kruer then walked and Olivares added an RBI single before a Vazquez RBI single extended the lead to 16-4.
 
A pair of home runs in the eighth led to the final margin. Troutt and Chiappetti led off with consecutive singles before Taylor launched a three-run blast to left field. Kruer then made it back-to-back home runs with his second round-tripper of the game as the Mariners pushed their lead to 20-4.
 
The Mariners face third-seeded Farmingdale State at 2 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, at Bartoszek Field.
 
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