ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A hot start for the Navy baseball team (3-6) was undone by a six-run third inning from Iona (1-6), as the Gaels defeated the Midshipmen, 8-4, on Friday evening at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
Tallying his second-straight multi-hit game and his fourth of the season, senior
Logan Keller notched three hits and was a home run shy of the cycle, while
Jackson Beattie struck out a career-high seven batters in a five-inning start for the Mids. In the visiting dugout, Jayson Gonzalez racked up his own three-hit performance as he was one of two Gaels to homer in Iona's first win of the campaign.
With Beattie retiring the first six Gaels he faced, Navy used some two-out hitting to take the early lead in the first inning, as Keller's double was followed by a single up the middle from sophomore
Brock Murtha that plated Keller for the first run of the contest. A Murtha steal then set up freshman
Andrew Manning to drive him in on another double, putting the Mids in front, 2-0.
Iona struck back in the third when Carter Groen led off the frame with a solo shot, while a two-run, two-out double by Gonzalez gave Iona the lead, 3-2. A Navy fielding error then allowed two more runs to come across and an Anthony Febo single brought in the sixth run of the inning.
The Mids answered right away in the bottom of the third, as Navy loaded the bases with two outs and junior
Ivan Aguirre forced in a run when he was hit by a pitch. Navy cut into the Iona lead once again in the fourth when a single from senior
Zane Raba and a walk to fellow senior
Eduardo Diaz brought up Keller, who punched a single into center to easily score Raba and make it a 6-4 game, but Andrelys Payamps prevented any further damage by striking out the next three batters.
Iona extended its lead in the fifth with another lead-off homer, this time from Gonzalez, and scratched across its eighth run of the contest in the eighth when Garret Gray walked and JC Frias drove him in with a two-out double into the right-field corner. Closing the door, Alex Hunt retired six of the eight Navy batters he faced to seal the Iona victory, allowing just a Keller triple and a walk to rookie
Evan Brown.
Beattie suffered the loss after allowing seven runs on seven hits, being on the hook for four earned runs, and freshman
Owen Geiger followed by allowing one run in 2.2 innings but struck out three Gaels. Senior
Zach Ward relieved Geiger and recorded one out before exiting, while sophomore
Aidan Chamberlin got the final three outs for Navy.
Payamps finished with 4.1 innings pitched, getting the win despite allowing four runs on seven hits and five walks. Eric Gialloreto came in after him and got two outs, while Nick Chiaia and Hunt both held the Mids scoreless in their two innings apiece of work, as Hunt racked up three strikeouts.
Game Notes
• Friday marked the first loss by Navy to Iona, as the Mids now lead the all-time series by a 13-1 margin.
• Gieger's three strikeouts and 2.2 innings pitched both marked season highs for the rookie right-hander.
• This also marked Raba's fourth multi-hit game of the year and the second-straight multi-hit contest for Manning.
• Raba swiped his Patriot League-leading sixth stolen base on Friday.
Up Next
Navy will look to even the series on Saturday, as the Mids and Gaels are set for a 2 p.m. first pitch at Max Bishop Stadium. The team will host an autograph session with fans following the game.
