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Naval Academy Athletics

Schedule

030620 Charlie Connolly
1
Penn State PSU 9-3
2
Winner Navy NAVY 10-1
Penn State PSU
9-3
1
Final
2
Navy NAVY
10-1
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 R H E
Penn State PSU 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 8 2
Navy NAVY 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0

W: Baker, Dalton (2-0) L: Mellott, Mason (2-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Baseball Walks Off Penn State in 11 innings to Win 10th Straight

Navy took advantage of two Penn State errors in the 11th inning

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Navy (10-1) took advantage of a pair of Penn State (9-3) errors in the 11th inning as Zach Biggers (Sr., Walhalla, S.C.) scored from second base on a throwing error with one out in the 11th inning at the Midshipmen upended the Nittany Lions, 2-1, on Friday evening to win their 10th-straight game.
 
Navy got another quality start from Charlie Connolly (Jr., Wayne, Pa.) as he tossed 6-2/3 innings and allowed just one run on seven hits for the Midshipmen. The Navy bullpen shut down the Nittany Lion offense over the final 4-1/3 innings as the pair of Trey Braithwaite (Jr., Winchester, Va.) and Dalton Baker (So., Sebring, Fla.) allowed just one hit and three walks. 
 
"The Penn State pitchers were outstanding tonight," head coach Paul Kostacopoulos said. "We just had to keep battling. We continued to scrap for what we could and we were able to scrap out two runs.
 
"Charlie Connolly again had another quality start. I really liked what our bullpen did tonight. Trey Braithwaite was very good and Dalton Baker did a really nice job pitching out of a couple of jams. It really was a staff night, they led us to the victory tonight and did a great job."
 
In a pitchers' dual from the start, neither team could generate any offense as the game remained scoreless over the first five innings. Penn State recorded a hit in each of the first five innings but left a runner on base in four of the five frames. For the game, the Nittany Lions left 10 runners on base as they were only able to push across one run.
 
Navy's offense was unable to notch a hit in the game but the Midshipmen still scored the first run of the contest in the bottom of the sixth inning. Matt Wolff (So., Fishers, Ind.) was hit by a pitch to start the stanza and then Joe Simourian (So., Andover, Mass.) worked a four-pitch walk to place two runners on base with no outs. Biggers moved both runners up a base with a sacrifice bunt and then Michael Coritz (Sr., Clifton, Va.) drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to centerfield to give the Midshipmen a 1-0 lead through six innings.
 
Penn State came back in the seventh inning as Gavin Homer drove in Curtis Robison with a one-out triple to tie the game at one. Right after the game-tying hit, the contest was pushed into a 33-minute rain delay. Following the delay, Braithwaite came into the game with two outs and a runner on third base. He forced a groundout to second base to end the inning and kept the game knotted at one.
 
After the Nittany Lions left two runners on base to end the top of the ninth inning, Navy had runners on first and second base with one out in the bottom of the frame but the Midshipmen were unable to push a run across in the ninth inning as the game went into extra innings. 
 
Following a scoreless 10th inning, Biggers reached base on a throwing error by Homer at second base. Coritz laid down a sacrifice bunt to put Biggers in scoring position with just one out. Christian Policelli (So., Walkersville, Md.) worked a full count and then hit a groundball to Kris Kremer at shortstop. On Kremer's first fielding chance of the game, he threw a ball low over to first base that skipped past Justin Williams and with Biggers running on the hit, he was able to score from second base as Navy walked off with a 2-1 victory.
 
Baker (2-0) earned the victory after throwing two scoreless frames without allowing a hit. Braithwaite tossed 2-1/3 innings of relief and allowed just one hit and striking out two.
 
Mason Mellott (2-1) was tagged with his first loss of the season after allowing an unearned run without giving up a hit or a walk in 1-2/3 innings. Bailey Dees got the start for the Nittany Lions allowed just one run over six innings without surrendering a hit but walked four. Tyler Shingledecker rounded out the Penn State pitchers on Friday night with 2-2/3 hitless innings allowing a walk and striking out five.
 
Navy is back in action on Saturday afternoon to take on Fairleigh Dickinson at 1 p.m. from Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
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