ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Punctuated by a grand slam from senior Eduardo Diaz, the Navy baseball team (3-5) run-ruled Delaware State (1-4) for a 17-7 win in eight innings Tuesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
Diaz and his double-play partner, junior Ivan Aguirre, both finished the day with four RBI apiece, as they were two of the six Midshipmen to tally multi-hit games against the Hornets, while sophomore Tyler Grenn posted another stellar start on the mound by holding DSU scoreless over the first 3.1 innings before handing it off to the Navy bullpen.
 
Navy started its scoring right away, as freshman Andrew Manning muscled an opposite-field double off the wall with two outs in the first inning, plating Diaz and senior Logan Keller, while another double off the bat of sophomore Victor Izquierdo brought in Manning and a Brian Furey single drove in Izquierdo to give Navy a 4-0 lead.
 
The Mids posted another four-spot in the third when Aguirre doubled down the left-field line with three runners on, clearing the bases and then coming in to score himself when sophomore Mac McCommons laced a single into center. Navy did not let up, as a fourth-inning double from sophomore Brock Murtha brought two more in to score and Izquierdo drove in Murtha with a single immediately after.
 
Delaware State finally broke through in the top of the fifth courtesy of a Chris Amparo three-run home run, while a Krew Bouldin double scored Joey Current later in the inning to cut Navy's lead to 11-4. Answering back with two runs in the bottom of the sixth, the Mids had Aguirre drive in Izquierdo on a single while a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch for senior Zane Raba plated Furey.
 
Delaware tried to rally once again in the eighth with an RBI single by Jancarlos Colon and a two-double from Amparo, but the Mids were able to load the bases with two outs in the bottom half of the inning, where Diaz smacked his second grand slam of the season into the left-field corner and handing the Mids a 10-run lead, putting into effect the NCAA run rule.
 
Grenn finished his day with the win, allowing four hits while striking out two in his 3.1 innings, while senior Nolan Jorgenson followed with an inning of relief (two runs allowed). Rookie Owen Geiger came in after that but could not record an out, as fellow freshman Evan Foster relieved him and held the Hornets in check for 1.2 frames by striking out three. Murtha then tossed 1.2 innings, giving up three runs before senior Zach Ward entered and recorded the final out in the top of the eighth.
 
Nathan Vidmar allowed four runs in his lone inning of work as DSU's starter, suffering the loss, with Eddie Del Valle then allowing four runs in his two frames and Brooks Kendall giving up three in his inning on the mound. Amari Gordan followed by striking out three but surrendering two unearned runs over 1.2 innings, while Hiram Davis and Kobe Head both had scoreless appearances before Hunter Thompson gave up four runs in the eighth.
 
Coach Chuck Ristano Comments
"I feel good, considering how the last few games went. Winning games is hard and you'll hear that at every level of baseball, but that's because it is true. Even though the game swung in our favor early, it seemed it was in the balance. When you have one of the few games here with a favorable wind to hit in, you don't always feel comfortable with a big lead because one swing can change it. When you string good at-bats together, that is how you can score double-digit runs, so having the guys at the bottom of the order produce was a huge part of today's game. It was good to see the guys bounce back and we pitched pretty well for all but two innings, but we have to find a way to clean up some of those innings that turn into crooked numbers."
 
Game Notes
• Navy improved to 26-7-1 in the all-time series with Navy, winning 11 of its last 12 meetings with DSU.
• Aguirre's four RBI are a career high for the infielder, while Diaz's four RBI matched his career best.
• Diaz's three runs scored also matched a career high for the shortstop.
• Izquierdo's three runs scored marked a career high.
• Four different Mids doubled, including Murtha notching a pair of two-baggers.
• Navy's 15 hits and five doubles on Tuesday are both season highs for the team.
 
Up Next
Navy will host Iona in a three-game set Friday-Sunday, March 1-3 at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium. Friday's series opener is scheduled for a 4 p.m. first pitch.