PURCHASE, NY – Purchase College baseball surrendered late runs in a pair of Skyline Conference games to the Mariners of the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy Saturday afternoon. The Panthers showed resilience with a competitive effort in the league doubleheader, but ultimately came up short in both games with scores of 8-5 and 1-0.
 
Game One: USMMA 8, Purchase 5 (13 innings)
After two scoreless innings, USMMA broke the ice after Vincenzo Alteri batted into a fielder's choice to push Colin Baker in from third base.

Purchase recorded its first run and tied the game 1-1 with a Gavin Brien RBI single to right field in the bottom of the sixth inning.

The Mariners took a 4-1 lead after batting in three runs over the seventh and eighth innings.

Joshua Costlow led off the seventh with a groundout to Panther second baseman Dylan Flynn (SO/Hauppauge, NY) and Colin Baker flied out to PC right fielder John Fitzgerald (JR/Wantagh, NY). With one out to go, Garrett Aichele singled to right center and came around to score on a Jesse Reinebold triple to right center.

In the eighth, USMMA recorded two runs on two hits, thanks to a RBI single by Griffin Reddeck and a Tyler Mowry RBI sacrifice flyout to right field.

Trailing the Mariners 4-1, Purchase answered back in the bottom half of the inning with a trio of runs to even the score (4-4). In his first game back following a hand injury, Nick Lasala (JR/Massapequa, NY) fueled the Panther run with a single to right field to lead off the inning. Back-to-back walks loaded the bases and Gavin Brien (JR/Brooklyn, NY) smashed a 2-RBI single to center field as Purchase clawed its way to within one run of a tie game. Flynn recorded the tying run (4-4) when he headed home on a USMMA error.

The bats on both ends went silent over the next four innings before Merchant Marine fired in four runs in the top of the 13^th inning. Reinebold batted in the game-winner with a single up the middle.
Purchase went on to record just one run in the bottom half of the inning, despite a valiant effort by the Panthers.

USMMA's Andrew Hunt (3-0) recorded the win in game one. The undefeated Mariner ace put in five innings of work, allowing just one hit while striking out three of the 16 batters he faced.

Game Two: USMMA 1, Purchase 0
The latter of Saturday's games saw complete-game pitching performances from both Purchase and USMMA.

For the Mariners, Andrew Spinnenweber (4-0) notched a notable nine strikeouts over 7.0 innings of work. He remains undefeated on the season after earning the win in game two.

Panther ace Brian Cunningham (SR/Westbury, NY) was tagged with the loss despite a strong showing on the mound for PC. He allowed six hits and just a single run, while striking out four and walking three of the 29 batters he faced.

USMMA scored the game's solo run in the top of the third inning. Baker and Aichele opened the inning with singles and Reinebold drove in the game-winner with a sacrifice fly to left field.

The Mariner's came close to scoring again in the seventh inning but Fitzgerald shutdown the attempt by the visitors with a throw from right field to to PC catcher Jackson Hill (JR/Brooklyn, NY), who turned and tagged Baker out at the plate to retire the inning.

Lasala recorded the only hit in the bottom of the seventh. Patrick Wallace (JR/Manorville, NY) popped up to second base, Matthew Nilsen grounded out to second and Brien struck out for the third and final out of game two.

Purchase is back in action again tomorrow at the SUNY College at Old Westbury. First pitch of the league doubleheader is set for 12 p.m.