Martin suffered a 7-2 defeat at the hands of Barry County Christian Monday in its season opener.

The second game of the doubleheader was halted after only 2 1/2 innings because of darkness.

The Clippers fell behind 2-0 in the opener but tied it up in the third inning on a walk to freshman Cayden Curry, a single by Zeke Dillenbeck and a single by Jake Robinson.

Martin got a hit by catcher Zach Schwab and two hits by first baseman Jacobi Yowler.

Ethan Gorton started and took the loss on the mound for the Clippers

“We are very young,” said Martin coach Jon Gambee, guiding his team for the first time since he suffered a back injury nearly a year ago. “We have only one senior and he has not played in two years because of a knee injury. We also start two freshmen in the outfield and two other players have never played baseball at the high school level.

“But I have been very impressed with the athleticism of these young players and they are learning the game very quickly. The only thing we lack is numbers, as Martin has only 11 players on the team, and experience. These young men are working very hard and I believe we will continue to improve as the season progresses.”

The Clippers will not play again until Tuesday, April 11, when they visit Kalamazoo Heritage Christian. Because of improvements being made at Martin High School, all baseball games this season and next will be on the road.

“Right now we just need to play, we need to gain experience,” Gambee said.