Box Score

BOSTON â€" A rivalry that dates back to 1901 took to historic Fenway Park on the day, the ballpark hosted its first official regular season game in 1912. On Friday night, the Navy baseball team gave the more than 6,000 fans in attendance something to remember as the club used a stellar pitching performance by Noah Song (Jr., Claremont, Calif.) and an impressive power display by Christian Hodge (Jr., Winder, Ga.) to earn a 4-0 victory in game one of the 2018 Baseball Star Series.

Up 1-0 on an RBI single by Hodge in the first inning, the Mids (29-11, 13-6 PL) slowly pulled away over the course of the game on the strength of a pair of Hodge home runs. That first inning run would be all that Song needed as he weathered some early threats by the Black Knights (22-15, 12-3 PL) before finding that next gear over the second half of the game.

On the day, Hodge and Zach Biggers (So., Walhalla, S.C.) powered Navy's offense as each player collected three hits. Hodge finished the contest 3-for-4 with two home runs over the Green Monster and all four of the Mids' RBIs. Biggers went 3-for-5 with two doubles and two runs scored.

On the mound, Song scattered three hits over a nine-inning complete game shutout. The junior right-hander struck out 11 Black Knights and allowed just one baserunner over the final four innings of play.

"That was a really gutsy performance by Noah; coming in here to a different, big league, environment and having the poise that he had, was tremendous," remarked head coach Paul Kostacopoulos. "He pitched through a few tough innings early on and came out unscathed before really getting on a roll in the second half of the game. He did a great job.

"Christian Hodge was great too! He had all four of our RBIs tonight. He got a hold of two home runs and a single in the first inning. We got a lot of offense out of him. As a team, I feel that we put a lot of pressure on them all night. We missed a few opportunities where a big hit could've broke it open, but we kept the pressure on throughout. This was a good offensive night."

Invigorated by playing in an MLB park, the Mids offense jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Biggers was the spark plug as the second baseman slashed a curling double down the left field line around Pesky Pole. Two batters later, Hodge drove in the game's first run with a single to centerfield.

Army immediately looked to respond in the bottom of first as the Jacob Hurtubise led off the frame for the Black Knights with walk and stolen base. After advancing to third, Song ended the threat with a strike three swinging punch out.

Song had another bend, but not break inning in the second as Army recorded a leadoff double and sacrifice bunt to put a runner on third base with one out. The junior right-hander reared back and struck out the next two batters to hold the 1-0 margin in favor of Navy.

After a quiet third inning, Army got runners in scoring position again in the fourth with a one-out double. Unfazed, Song navigated the situation with an infield pop-up and another strikeout.

With the score 1-0, Navy looked to increase its lead in the fifth inning. Once again, Biggers was around the action as he connected for a double off the Green Monster in left field. A strong defense play by Army's catcher Jon Rosoff ended the stanza with the game still at 1-0.

One swing of the bat in the top of the sixth inning increased Navy's lead out to two runs as Hodge lofted a deep fly over the Green Monster for a solo home run. Evan Lowery (So., Williamsburg, Va.) took advantage of the unique dimensions of Fenway Park in the ensuing at bat as he crushed a Tyler Giovinco offering into the triangle in straight away centerfield for a stand-up triple. Unfortunately for Mids, Lowery would stay stranded at third base as the game moved on at a 2-0 score.

After a few mildly threatening innings to start the game, Song really started to hit his stride in the bottom of the sixth. Navy's hurler put down the 3-4-5 portion of Army's lineup in order with a pair of strikeouts.

The two catalysts for the Mids' offense left their mark in the seventh to add two important insurance runs. With one out, Biggers beat out an infield single to third base. Two batters later, Hodge got all of a pitch by the newly-inserted Black Knight reliever Joe Santoro and crushed the pitch well over the Green Monster for a no-doubt two-run homer.

Fronted a four-run lead, Song continued cruising in the seventh and eighth innings with two more three-up, three-down frames.

While Navy threatened to tack on additional runs in the eighth and ninth innings, the game stay at a 4-0 margin.

With just three outs standing between a complete game shutout and more importantly the first win in the 2018 Baseball Star Series, Song left nothing up for debate in the bottom of the ninth. After allowing a leadoff single, he mowed down the next three batters, all via swinging strike outs.

In his three-hit shutout, Song allowed just two walks, while striking out 11 Black Knights over 123 pitches.

"I saw a lot of toughness out of Noah tonight," said Kostacopoulos. "His velocity wasn't at the peak that we've seen at some points this year, but he pitched to the corners and had three pitches going. He mixed his curveball just enough to keep them off-balanced. After some challenges in the first couple of innings, he settled in and really cruised."

For the game, Navy outhit Army, 12-3. Biggers and Hodge tied for the game-high with three hits a piece. Eight of the Mids' nine starters tallied at least one hit in the game.

"These players will remember this game for a long time," exclaimed Kostacopoulos. "They'll be way beyond the Naval Academy and still remember coming to Fenway Park and playing in this game. No matter what they do, they'll cherish this experience."

The three-game series will conclude on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader at West Point. First pitch between the Mids and Black Knights is set for 3 p.m. at Doubleday Field. The winner of the best-of-three series will earn the Star. The 2017-18 Star Series is presented by USAA.

"We have to sleep fast and turn our attention to tomorrow. We're going to have two hard-fought games at West Point that will be just as competitive as tonight."