ANNAPOLIS, Md. – A close call with the winning run on base in the ninth ended the Navy baseball team's hopes of a comeback Saturday afternoon, suffering a 5-4 loss to Sacred Heart at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
In a game that saw junior right-hander Tyler Grenn post his second-straight six-inning quality start and fellow junior Brock Murtha collect two hits while driving in three runs, the Midshipmen could not get one more timely break against a veteran Pioneers' pitching staff and lineup.
 
While a scoreless first inning hinted at a pitchers' duel, Steak Newman's solo home run out over the right-center fence in the second quickly broke the scoreless tie. Navy answered back an inning later when Murtha delivered a single to center with two on, plating sophomore Tyler Bouchard for the Mids' first run, but a double play and line-out ended Navy's chances of adding more.
 
Peter Link gave the Pioneers another lead at 2-1 in the fifth with a two-out double that scored JW Fitzgerald, but the Mids responded in the bottom of the inning when Murtha tripled to drive in Bouchard again and sophomore Andrew Manning then grounded out to plate Murtha on the next pitch.
 
Ronan Donohue evened the game for the third time with an RBI groundout in the sixth inning, bringing in Dante D'Amore. D'Amore then gave SHU the lead again in the seventh when he singled deep to center field, scoring Link all the way from first base, while Tim McGuire followed with an RBI single off the first-base bag to drive in D'Amore.
 
Back-to-back walks and double steal put two runners in scoring position for Navy in the home-half of the seventh, allowing Murtha to score Bouchard for the third time on the afternoon with a groundout. With junior reliever Jackson Beattie holding the Pioneers scoreless in the eighth and ninth innings, the Mids then used a hit-by-pitch and a walk to put the tying and winning runs on base in the ninth. As the game hung in the balance, Sacred Heart's switch-pitcher PJ Rogan induced a game-ending double play that Murtha nearly beat out at first base.
 
Flamethrower Elijah Foster went 4.2 innings in the start for SHU, holding the Mids to three runs on two hits while striking out four, while Lou Stallone allowed one run in two innings to get the win and Rogan pitched 2.1 scoreless innings to earn his first save of the season.
 
Grenn finished with three runs allowed (two earned) in his six frames, punching out four Pioneers, while Beattie suffered the hard-luck loss after giving up two runs in his 2.1 innings and freshman Spencer Stephens notched two strikeouts to record the final two outs for Navy.
 
Coach Chuck Ristano Comments
"Frankly, today was a really difficult loss to swallow. You look up and you feel like you've got chances to score in every inning, but we could not find a way to get the big hit. We've got to be more efficient on the offensive and defensive side of the ball to win games like these."
 
"I thought Grenn was outstanding, but some of our miscues drove his pitch count up and it probably cost him the ability to go back out for at least another inning. We had plenty of chances to break through and just couldn't. Bouchard had himself a really nice day, especially on the bases, and Brock swung the bat well, but getting the big hit continues to evade us. You can't get two hits and expect to win any games. It's frustrating and disappointing, but I believe in this team's character and resolve and we've got to get this right before we enter conference play. No one feels good about where we are right now, but we're staying together and running straight into the fire together."
 
"Even in this struggle, we are growing and will be better on the other side. The only way to move this forward is to maintain our poise, work relentlessly and show up to the field with the type of intensity and winning mindset that this game demands."
 
Game Notes
• Navy is now 0-2 in the all-time series with Sacred Heart.
• Bouchard swiped three bases and scored three times, setting new career highs for the sophomore.
• Murtha has reached base safely in seven of nine games this season, while Bouchard has reached safely in seven of his eight games played in 2025.
• Grenn has now tallied eight quality starts over the last two seasons.
• Navy has registered multiple stolen bases in four of its last five games.
 
Up Next
Navy and Sacred Heart will close out the series Sunday afternoon, with first pitch slated for 1 p.m. on Navy Athletics YouTube.