WEST POINT, N.Y. – A pair of senior pitchers led the way with a three-hitter on Saturday afternoon, as the Navy baseball team (25-18, 15-9 PL) shut out rival Army (24-18, 13-7 PL) by a 2-0 score to even up the Star Series at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field in West Point, N.Y.
 
Forcing the rubber match on Sunday, senior captain Matthew Shirah held the Black Knights to just one hit over the first five innings before fellow senior Nolan Jorgenson allowed just two baserunners in a four-inning save to complete the shutout, while senior Anthony Fiallo delivered an RBI double in the fifth inning to give the Midshipmen a lead that would not surrender as part of a two-hit day for the left fielder.

With today's victory and Holy Cross' loss yesterday, the Mids have also locked up one of the top-two seeds in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament, earning a home series in the semifinal round.
 
Defense was on display early for the second-straight day, as both catchers threw out would-be base stealers in the first inning, while Shirah struck out Addison Ainsworth to leave a runner on third base in the third and Navy turned a quick 6-4-3 double play to end the fourth frame.
 
Navy took the lead in the fifth when freshman Jack Killelea laced a single up the middle and senior Zane Raba worked the walk, giving Fiallo the chance to line a two-strike double down the right-field line that plated Killelea. Raba then came across to score on an RBI groundout from senior Hudson Lehnertz, putting the Mids up, 2-0. After Army put two on in the bottom of the frame, Navy used its defense once again when Shirah was the tail-end of a 3-6-1 double play on end the inning.
 
Jorgenson then came on and retired the first seven batters he faced before Army got back-to-back one-out singles in the eighth, but the right hander worked a foul-out and a line-out to nip the threat and then worked another 1-2-3 inning in the ninth to earn the save.
 
Shirah finished his second win of the season with five strikeouts in his five innings, allowing four walks, while Jorgenson got his second save of the season with four strikeouts over his four frames.
 
Mike Ruggieri suffered the loss after allowing two runs on five hits over six innings, getting three strikeouts to two walks, while Andrew Berg gave up one hit in his two frames and Tanner Gresham surrendered one hit in one inning for his season debut.
 
Coach Chuck Ristano Comments
"That's a really well-played game by both sides for the second-straight day. We were a couple of pitches and swings better and I'm really proud of the resolve of our group. There's nothing better than watching good, clean baseball, and it was on display today in full force. I can't say enough about Shirah and Jorgenson. They had total control of the game. It was fun to watch Matthew kind of rev it up there when he needed to get a big punchout. Our guys definitely fed off that energy. Great day from Fiallo, and Lehnertz getting that second run in was critically important as well. We'll be ready for tomorrow and it's been exciting to see the joy and competition that this series brings out in both teams."
 
Game Notes
• Navy now leads the all-time series with Army at 131-130.
• Saturday marked the first shutout by Navy of Army since April 24, 2022, which featured Shirah and Jorgenson combining for 8.2 innings before Landon Kruer recorded the final out in West Point.
• Freshman Andrew Manning extended his on-base streak to nine games.
• Two of Fiallo's three multi-hit games this season have come against Army.
• Jorgenson has now made four-straight pitching appearances of two innings or more.
• Jorgenson has now had five outings this year of four-plus innings.
 
Up Next
Navy and Army will wrap up the series on Sunday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. on ESPN+.