Purchase, NY (Mar. 26, 2017) – The Purchase College baseball opened Skyline Conference play on their home diamond this afternoon with a pair of heartbreaking losses to the United States Merchant Marine Academy.  The Mariners, who came into today's doubleheader 0-2 in the league, swept the Panthers 6-0 and 9-8 to improve to 4-8 overall (2-2 SKY) while knocking Purchase down to 0-5 overall (0-2 SKY).

USMMA jumped on the board in the first inning with a 2-RBI double by Bryson Campbell off Panther starter Nick Palmerini (FR/Northport, NY) (0-1) to score Wyatt Wilson and Matthew Thomson for what proved to be the game-winning run. Campbell later came around to score on a RBI double by Michael Barnes.  A Kyle Cunningham sacrifice fly put the Mariners ahead, 4-0, but Palmerini came back firing a strikeout to close the inning.  

Sophomore first baseman Brian Cunningham (Westbury, NY) would open up hitting action for Purchase in the bottom half of the inning but the effort was short lived as the Mariners ended the inning with the next at-bat.  

Thomson tripled and Wilson singled in the fourth inning to extend the Mariners' lead to six.

The Panthers collected their second hit off rookie left fielder Gavin Brien's (FR/Brooklyn, NY) single to center field in the sixth.  Freshman right fielder John Fitzgerald (Wantagh, NY) doubled down the left field line in the seventh to add the third and final hit for Purchase in game one.

Merchant Marine's Justus Martin (1-2) earned the shutout win after allowing only three hits and striking out two over eight innings of work, while Palmerini was tabbed with his first career loss in the debut game.

In game two, Purchase opened the scoring in the bottom of the first inning off a Teofilo Ramirez (SR/Queens, NY) RBI double that brought Brien around to score.
USMMA answered back with a five-run second inning but Purchase pulled back ahead in the third with three hits and five runs scored to make it a 6-5 ball game in favor of the Panthers. 

Brien double to lead-off the inning.  A hit-by-pitch and walk followed to load the bases before senior third baseman Patrick Rucci (Cortlandt Manor) doubled to right field, bringing two runs in to score.  A Nick Tuozzola (SO/Milford, CT) RBI single to right field and a walk tied the game at five.  A Mariner error would give the Panthers a 6-5 advantage before the final out of the inning.

USMMA took back the lead in the fifth with two runs but Purchase answered back in the bottom half of the inning with one run off a Gregory Walsh (SO/Bethpage, NY) double to left field that brought Nicholas Tuozzola (SO/Milford, CT) around to score. Walsh later stole home for the go-ahead run. 

Merchant Marine closed out the scoring for the game with two runs off two hits in the sixth inning.  Unable to make a comeback, the Panthers dropped game two, 9-8, to the visiting Mariners.   

Purchase resumes Skyline action on Tuesday as the Panthers look to pick up their first win of the season against Yeshiva University.  First pitch of the two-game series is set for 6 p.m.