KINSTON, N.C. – A three-run top of the first inning proved to be the deciding factor in the series finale, as the Navy baseball team was robbed of the first-ever Freedom Classic sweep with a 4-1 loss to Air Force on Sunday afternoon at Grainger Stadium in Kinston, N.C.
 
Sunday's game moved both the Midshipmen and the Falcons to identical 2-5 records in 2023.
 
With five of the team's nine hits going for extra bases, Air Force saw Matt Thompson and Chase Spencer both tally doubles as part of two-hit games, while junior Zane Raba's double eventually brought him around to score for Navy's lone offensive highlight of the day. The rest of the Mids' bats were limited to four singles as Seungmin Shim and Sawyer Hanks combined to strike out 12 batters for the Falcons, with Shim carrying a no-hitter into the sixth inning.
 
Air Force opened with its first three batters all recording hits, as Thompson's single was followed by a Sam Kulasingam triple and a double to straight-away centerfield from Jake Greiving, while a single up the middle from Spencer later in the frame scored Greiving to make it 3-0 Falcons before the Mids even reached the plate.
 
Navy senior right-hander Thomas Russell settled down after the opening inning, posting three scoreless frames and punching out five Falcons hitters before handing the ball off to sophomore righty Evan Hamill for three more scoreless innings.
 
With Hamill keeping the Falcons at bay, the Mids scratched across their only run of the game in the bottom of the sixth inning when Raba led off with a double to deep center for Navy's first run of the game, while a fly ball from senior Nick Burch moved him over to third base and a line-drive single from junior Eduardo Diaz allowed him to scoot home with ease and break the shutout.
 
Jay Thomason provided a bit of insurance for Air Force when he hit a lead-off home run to start the eighth inning, but Navy freshman Tyler Grenn bounced back to retire six of the final seven batters he faced. On the opposite side, Hawks entered for Shim in the seventh and allowed only two Navy baserunners the rest of the way to pick up the save.
 
Shim finished with seven strikeouts compared to three walks, allowing three hits and one run in six innings to earn his second win of the season, while Hawks' five strikeouts helped him notch his second three-inning save of the campaign.
 
Despite suffering the loss, Russell matched a career high with four innings of work and racked up a new career best via his five strikeouts. Hamill's three innings marked his first scoreless outing in just his second collegiate appearance, while Grenn's two frames on the mound gives him a share of the team lead with three relief appearances this season.
 
Game Notes
• Navy now holds a 32-30 edge over Air Force in the all-time series, while the two teams are tied at a 17-17 record in Freedom Classic games.
• Junior Logan Keller has recorded at least one hit in each of the Mids' first seven games this season.
• Navy's starting pitchers recorded five-or-more strikeouts in each of the three games against Air Force this weekend.
• Seven of Navy's nine pitchers used in the Air Force series went two-or-more innings.
• Senior catcher Alex Smith threw out four would-be base stealers on Sunday, a single-game career high that also matched his total runners thrown out from the 2021 and 2022 season each.
 
Up Next
Navy returns home to host 2022 NCAA Regional qualifier Coppin State on Wednesday, March 1. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. from Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.