ANNAPOLIS, Md. – On a rain-soaked, 13-inning Saturday afternoon, sophomore Victor Izquierdo proved to be the hero for the Navy baseball team (6-7), as the Midshipmen pulled out the 7-6 win over Princeton (1-6) at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
Originally scheduled to be a doubleheader, the Mids and Tigers' second game Saturday was postponed, with the two teams now slated for a twin-bill on Sunday afternoon.
 
Plating senior Anthony Fiallo with his game-winning single, Izquierdo was one of four Mids with multi-hit performances while junior reliever Landon Kruer posted career highs with five innings pitched and six strikeouts to help anchor a pitching staff that held the Tigers to just five hits.
 
Navy fell into an early hole, as Princeton struck in the top of the first inning courtesy of a Kyle Vinci RBI single before swelling its lead to 3-0 later in the frame after a two-run fielding error by the Mids. Answering back in the bottom of the inning, senior Zane Raba singled and got to third base on a passed ball when he stole second, with fellow senior Logan Keller then scoring him on a sacrifice fly.
 
Navy continued to find ways to chip into the Princeton lead in the third, as sophomore Brock Murtha drew the Tigers into a rundown off first base, allowing senior Eduardo Diaz to scoot home and cut the deficit to 3-2. Diaz then handed Navy its own 5-3 lead an inning later, punching a bases-loaded double into the left-center gap and driving in all three runners.
 
Princeton quickly evened the game, as a fifth-inning single from Vinci brought home both runners to make it 5-5, but rookie reliever Ryan Bibb struck out Jordan Kelly to keep the score tied. Izquierdo then put Navy ahead again in the seventh, lacing a double down the third-base line to score Keller, but the Tigers responded in the next half-inning, as Jake Koonin's single in the eighth drove home Vinci.
 
With Kruer holding the Tigers hitless in his final four innings and freshman Timmy Virtudes retiring the side in his one frame, Navy put runners on in each of the final six innings, including loading the bases in the 10th, but could not cash in the winning run in the first five tries.
 
Finally capitalizing in the 13th, Fiallo put a two-out double over the left fielder's head and raced home two pitches later when Izquierdo poked a single into left field, giving Navy the 7-6 win.
 
Senior starter Matthew Shirah finished his 4.2 innings allowing three earned runs and striking out six, while Bibb gave up one run in 2.1 innings before yielding to Kruer. Kruer wrapped up his career day by allowing just two hits and three walks, while Virtudes got the victory in addition to his one strikeout.
 
For Princeton, Justin Kim lasted 3.2 innings and surrendered five runs before Andrew D'Alessio relieved him with 4.1 innings of one-run ball, striking out five, while Jacob Faulkner kept Navy scoreless for 4.2 frames before allowing Izquierdo's RBI single.
 
Coach Chuck Ristano Comments
"A really good team win with lots of positives but lots of things we can do better. Today was a long, grinding game and our guys never lost focus or intensity as the game was perpetually in the balance. We kept getting chances in extra innings and it was great to have Fiallo and Vic step up in the 13th with two outs, while I'm very proud of Kruer's effort on the mound today as well."
 
Game Notes
• Navy is now 71-52 in the all-time series with Princeton, winning the last five games in the series.
• Saturday's 13 innings was the longest game for Navy since a 16-inning loss to Air Force on Feb. 25, 2018.
• Hudson Lehnertz matched his career high with three hits in the contest, doubling twice.
• With three RBI on Saturday, Diaz has now tallied three games this season with three-or-more RBI.
• Murtha extended his on-base streak to 14 games, dating back to last season's finale, and improved his hit streak to seven games.
• Izquierdo reached base for the 12th-straight contest and is tied with Diaz for the team lead at four multi-RBI games.
• The Mids are now 1-1 in extra-inning contests this season.
 
Up Next
Navy and Princeton will now play a doubleheader Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. Both games are scheduled to be streamed on ESPN+.