ANNAPOLIS, Md. – With right-hander Thomas Russell limiting the opposition to just two hits over a career-high six innings in the nightcap, Navy was able to pull off the doubleheader split with Lafayette in Patriot League baseball action on Sunday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
Despite a career-high eight strikeouts from Matthew Shirah in Sunday's opener, the Midshipmen could not figure the Leopards' Alex Walsh as the Lafayette righty led the visitors to an 8-0 Lafayette shutout in game one. In the second game of the day, two RBI from Brock Murtha and a solo homer from Logan Keller highlighted the offense Navy provided to Russell in the nightcap en route to the Mids' starter posting a career-high eight strikeouts in the 6-4 Navy victory.
 
Game One Recap
Alex Walsh kept the Mids off balance throughout the opening game, as the Lafayette starter allowed just three hits over a complete-game seven-inning performance that was aided by Michael Zarrillo's three-hit, three-RBI contest, with Zarrillo falling just a single shy of the cycle for the Leopards.
 
After a clean first inning from Shirah, the Mids seemed on the verge of breaking out in the bottom of the inning before Walsh picked off the leadoff runner. With Walsh providing the spark, Lafayette's bats got him run support in the top of the second when a Zarrillo double kick-started a frame that saw Zarrillo score on a Parker Walsh walk and Kyle Chmielewski come home on a wild pitch one batter later.
 
Navy again got a runner on base to lead off the second before a double play wiped him out, and an Eduardo Diaz double made him the lone Navy batter reach scoring position in the opener but he was left stranded.
 
With Pete Ciuffreda on base both times, a two-run homer in the third and an RBI triple in the fifth by Zarrillo moved the Leopards lead to 5-0, and Lafayette added two more runs in the fifth frame off Chmielewski's single and an Ethan Swidler double. Ciuffreda then capped off the Leopards' scoring in the sixth when he lifted a sacrifice fly to left that plated Parker Walsh for the eighth Lafayette run.
 
Not issuing a walk until the seventh and final inning, Walsh wrapped up his complete-game win with eight strikeouts and facing only three batters over the minimum. On the Navy side, Shirah allowed just two hits in four innings, but four walks issued led to four earned runs and the loss for the righty. Zach Powers followed by giving up four runs (three earned) in two frames, while Zach Ward pitched a scoreless top of the seventh.
 
Game Two Recap
Russell's dominant start was aided by an early Navy lead, as Murtha, Kyle Rausch and Colin Smith all tallied two-hit contests in the back-half of the doubleheader.
 
With Russell working out of a first-inning jam, the Mids got some offense for their starter in the home half of the frame by loading the bases, setting up a one-out single by Alex Smith that drove in Hudson Lehnertz for the game's first run.
 
As Russell settled in by retiring eight straight hitters, Navy tacked on to its lead in the second when Colin Smith raced home on a wild pitch. Nick Burch then used a walk, stolen base and wild pitch to reach third, easily scoring when Murtha singled off the pitcher.
 
Lafayette cut the lead to 3-1 in the fifth on a Blaze Fadio sacrifice fly, but Keller answered by pulling a home run to left field, while a throwing error off a Diaz two-out grounder kept the inning alive and Colin Smith made the Leopards pay with a double in the gap that brought in Diaz to make it 5-1 Navy. The Mids got another run in the sixth when Burch tagged up on Murtha's sacrifice fly, finishing Navy's scoring for the afternoon.
 
Chmielewski would shrink Navy's lead again in the eighth when he hit a two-run blast out to right-center, but the Mids turned to closer Landon Kruer in the ninth to shut down the Leopards. Despite allowing an inherited runner to score, Kruer got three outs with the tying run on base to notch his league-leading fifth save of the season.
 
Russell ended his day by allowing just six base-runners and one run against, as his six-inning outing earned him his third win of the year. Reece Early relieved him with two innings of work, giving up three runs, while Kruer allowed one hit and struck out one in his four batters faced.
 
Paul Kostacopoulos Postgame Comments
"Holistically, winning three out of four is a good weekend for us. I like how we bounced back today in the sense that we just didn't have much going the first game. Their guy pitched a great game, located three pitches and kept us off balance. We didn't do a great job of the mound either by walking and hitting guys. We only allowed five hits but they had eight runs. So, it just wasn't a great game in the first game, but in game two we bounced back. The fourth game of a series when you're playing four games in a 36-hour period is a grind, so if you can get one win it's always good. Overall, it was a good weekend."
 
"I thought Thomas continues to get better. Each outing it looks a little more complete out there - a little better command of his off-speed pitches, locating the fastball better and giving us the innings. I thought Matt (Shirah) had good stuff, he just didn't locate it, he fell behind some hitters and the walks got him. Reece really did a nice job again in game two today in middle relief and Landon did a great job once again, because that thing was getting away from us and he did a nice job of shutting it down."
 
Notes
• Navy is now 98-49-2 in the all-time series with Lafayette.
• Keller made his 100th consecutive start for Navy in Sunday's first game, while Diaz is just six starts away from reaching the same milestone.
• Each Navy starting pitcher this weekend tallied a career high in strikeouts, as Nate Mitchell's 10 punchouts on Saturday were followed by Liam Golden, Shirah and Russell all retiring eight batters apiece via the strikeout in their respective starts.
• Alex Smith has now recorded a hit in 12 consecutive games, with the Navy catcher hitting .405 during that streak.
• Kruer is now in sole possession of sixth in program history for career saves, totaling 12 saves through 25 appearances.
• Russell now has a 3.70 ERA through five starts this season.
 
Up Next
Navy heads up to Baltimore on Wednesday, March 29 to play UMBC in a non-conference game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. First pitch between the Mids and Retrievers is set for 6 p.m., with tickets on sale for $10 at Orioles.com/UMBCNavyGame.