KINGS POINT, N.Y. – Russell Sage College Baseball opened its season Friday evening with a 7-1 non-conference loss at the United States Merchant Marine Academy.
Junior pitcher Liam Doyle (West Sayville, NY/Connetquot) started the game on the bump for the Gators, tossing five innings and striking out five batters. Junior pitcher Jaylen Cuevas (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) and sophomore pitcher Michael Fahey (Cornwall, NY/Cornwall) followed Doyle for the final three innings, combining for three punch-outs.
RSC produced five hits as a squad, all of which singles. Junior infielder Zachary Figueras (Apopka, FL/Windermere) cracked a pair, while junior Dom Caminitti (Mahopac, NY/Mahopac), junior infielder Frank Colletta (Holtsville, NY/St. John the Baptist), and junior infielder Jeff Stearnes (Vergennes, VT/Vergennes Union) each added a knock to the scorebook.
The lone run for the Gators came on an 8th inning bases loaded sacrifice fly off the bat of junior infielder Christian Brown (Troy, NY/Troy), which brought outfielder James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), a grad student who was named an Empire 8 preseason player-to-watch, across the dish.
USMMA (1-0) plated three runs in the second inning and never looked back in the contest where they saw three put up multi-hit performances. Freshman infielder Ben Taylor knocked a double and two singles in a four RBI performance. Freshman infielder Daniel Serna scored three of the Mariners' seven runs while hitting two singles and swiping two bases.
Freshman outfielder Tommy Chiappetti tanked USMMA's first home run of the season with a seventh inning solo shot and added a single. Starting pitcher Tyler Reistetter registered six innings of shutout ball on the way to the victory. The sophomore struck out 14 Gators in the effort. Sophomore Eddie Lippert and seniors Tommy Payton and Kellen Brown took care of the final three frames for the Mariners.
RSC (0-1) continues its opening weekend with a doubleheader on Saturday at NYU. First pitch is slated for noon.
Gator Bites: Entering its third season as a program, RSC looks to continue to climb the Empire 8 Conference ladder in 2024…The Gators, which returned all 10 starters, were the runner-up in the 2023 E8 Championship Tournament…Outfielder James Lubanski (Port Washington, NY/Paul D. Schreiber), a grad student, and junior pitcher Liam Doyle (West Sayville, NY/Connetquot) headline the returnees…Lubanski was named third-team All-Region by the American Baseball Coaches Association, while Doyle, a righty, topped RSC in innings pitched and ERA last spring.
Gator Golf: The 19th Annual Gator Golf Classic will be held May 31, 2024. More Information: https://www.
