Box Score The College of Staten Island men's baseball team saw their eight-game winning streak snapped at the hands of visiting United States Merchant Marine Academy, falling to the Mariners, 4-3, in a non-conference single game played earlier tonight at the CSI Baseball Complex. The Dolphins fell to 9-7 with the loss while the Mariners improved to 6-4 on the season.

The game featured a sensational pitchers' duel, as the Dolphins' Nick Tingos battled toe to toe with USMMA's John Kret, as the two hurlers allowed only two earned runs, combining to pitch 15.1 innings in the game. CSI got on the board first, touching Kret for a run in the second inning. Cassano started the inning off by earning a walk and after Mark Glennerster reached on an infield error to extend the inning, Sal Todaro hit an infield single to score Cassano unearned, opening up the game at 1-0 in CSI's favor.

CSI's lead held through the three innings, until USMMA got on the board with three runs in a big fourth frame. A suicide squeeze bunt by Daniel Collins turned into an RBI single, scoring Dustin Thomsen who opened the frame with a basehit. Then stepped in Nicholas Nalette, who laced an RBI-double down the left field line, scoring two to inflict a host of the damage, giving the Mariners a 3-1 lead.

After leaving a pair of runners on base in the fifth inning, CSI did punch across a run in the sixth, thanks to another Todaro RBI-single, scoring Cassano. Still, Kret was able to work out of a bases-loaded jam, getting Dan Lynch to strike out and Bryan Moreno into an inning-ending groundout.

CSI left another runner on base in each of the next two innings, as USMMA earned a monster insurance run in the top half of the 9th inning off of CSI reliever Mike Van Pelt, via a Nalette RBI. With three outs left, CSI worked against USMMA reliever Dustin Thomsen and did scratch another run across.

Moreno led off with a single, and Henry Roman followed with one of his own to put runners at first and second with no one out. After a Pat Gale groundout moved the runners over, Joey Falcone posted a sacrifice fly to score Moreno. Down 4-3 with Ray Gise (pinch-running for Roman) at second base, Thomsen got Cassano to strike out on three pitches to earn the save.

CSI outhit USMMA, 12-8, leaving 11 runners on base to the Mariners' 5. Kret's winning line was 7.1 innings pitched allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 10 hits, fanning four. Tingos was the hard-luck loser, throwing eight innings, allowing three runs (1 earned) on six hits, striking out five. Sal Todaro finished his day at the dish with a 3-for-4 performance with a pair of RBI.

Weather permitting, CSI returns to action tomorrow at 4pm for a doubleheader against Purchase State College at the CSI Baseball Complex.