ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Holding onto a narrow lead entering the ninth inning of its home opener, the Navy baseball team (2-2) could not prevent a late comeback from Georgetown (1-3) Wednesday afternoon, as the Hoyas fought back to defeat the Midshipmen, 5-3, at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.

Getting four innings from sophomore Tyler Grenn in his first career start, Navy deployed seven relievers in the contest to bridge the final five frames while senior Zane Raba and sophomore Victor Izquierdo both notched two-hits days at the plate to pace the Mids' offense. Georgetown was led by Jake Hyde's two RBI, as Hyde was one of four Hoya batters to record multi-hit games.

On a cold but sunny day, the Hoyas opened the scoring in the second inning with a two-out Kavi Caster single that plated Christian Ficca, but Navy struck back in the next inning when Raba followed back-to-back singles from sophomore Mac McCommons and senior Eduardo Diaz with a single of his own to bring in McCommons.

Izquierdo then delivered another RBI single later in the third frame to hand Navy the 2-1 advantage, while Grenn and the Navy bullpen were able to keep Georgetown off the board for the next six innings. The Mids then added its third run of the game in the bottom of the eighth, as Raba doubled to start the inning and used a fly ball to advance to third base before scooting home on a Hoya error.

Georgetown finally broke through again in the top of the ninth, as the Hoyas loaded the bases to lead off the inning before a wild pitch brought in Andrew Bergeron while Jake Hyde doubled down the right-field line later in the at-bat to drive in two more runs. The Hoyas then tacked on their own insurance run later in the inning when Hyde came home on a double play, while Nick Davis closed the door on the Mids in the bottom of the inning by retiring all three Navy batters he faced.

With Grenn holding the Hoyas to one run on five hits in his four frames, freshmen Evan Foster, Owen Geiger, Timmy Virtudes and seniors Nolan Jorgenson and Zach Ward combined to shut out GU for four innings and strike out four Hoyas. Junior Landon Kruer suffered the loss after being on the hook for four runs, while rookie Brady Bendik recorded the final three outs for Navy.

Kai Leckszas started for Georgetown and allowed two runs on six hits in three innings, while Jordan Yoder tossed two scoreless innings in relief. Cody Jensen followed by limiting Navy to one unearned run in three frames to get the win and Davis notched the save with his outing.

Coach Chuck Ristano Comments
"It was a very tough ending to a day that saw some very encouraging performances on the mound. It's really important that we get the new guys into some charged situations and I was very pleased by how we were able to match up throughout the game and keep their offense at bay. We got to the exact spot we wanted to be with the guy we wanted on the mound, and he just had a tough day. Everyone in our dugout believes in Landon and he'll bounce back immediately. I would've liked to separate a bit in the middle innings but we just couldn't get the offense going. There are great days ahead for this team, we just have to stay the course and grow from the mistakes."

Game Notes
• Georgetown cut into Navy's lead in the teams' all-time series with the win, as the Mids now hold a 65-51 edge through 116 meetings.
• Navy is now 1-3 in home openers when facing Georgetown.
• Raba and freshman Evan Brown have both tallied hits in each of Navy's four games this season, with Raba notching three multi-hit games in just five contests.
• Diaz extended his on-base streak to five games dating back to last season.
• Grenn's four innings marked a career high for the right-hander, surpassing his previous best of three innings (three times).

Up Next
Navy and Air Force will renew their rivalry this weekend at the 2024 Freedom Classic, being held Friday through Sunday at historic Grainger Stadium in Kinston, N.C. Friday's series opener is set for 6 p.m. Friday, while Saturday's first pitch is slated for 2 p.m. and Sunday's finale beginning at 12:30 p.m.