ANNAPOLIS, Md. – For the second-straight day, the Navy baseball team split a doubleheader with a Patriot League foe, this time picking up a 5-3 victory in the opener with Lehigh before suffering a 7-4 loss in the nightcap Sunday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
After Henry Mitchell delivered an early three-run double and Landon Kruer closed the door for his fifth save of the year in the first game, an impressive relief outing by Kody Clancy and a sixth-inning rally by the Midshipmen were spoiled when the Mountain Hawks pulled off their own comeback in the ninth inning to avoid the Sunday sweep. The afternoon also saw Andrew Manning continue to produce at the plate, tallying a pair of two-hit performances for the second-straight day.
 
Game One Recap
As Navy stranded two Lehigh runners in the first, second and third innings, including Bibb getting three-straight strikeouts after entering the game in the third, the Mids got to work on offense in the bottom of the second. When a two-out Manning single and two walks loaded the bases for Mitchell, he laced a double over the Lehigh right-fielder's head to make it 3-0 Navy.
 
A wild pitch with Evan Brown standing on third base in the fourth inning then grew the lead to 4-0, but Lehigh answered back in the top of the fourth with Ryan Cochran's two-out RBI single that knocked in Ryan Davis.
 
With both teams pitching out of jams in the fifth, the Mountain Hawks cut the Navy lead to 4-3 in the sixth by loading the bases with no outs and getting a Sam Holtz walk and Aidan Quinn's RBI groundout to score two runs before Kruer registered back-to-back strikeouts to keep Navy in front.
 
The Mids then gave Kruer added insurance in the bottom of the sixth when Manning singled and took second base on a wild pitch before racing home on Noah Ditas' single into right field, while the Navy closer induced two lineouts and a strikeout looking to preserve the win in the seventh.
 
With Matt Archibald going two scoreless innings in the start and Ryan Bibb striking out four while allowing one run in his two frames of relief, Spencer Stephens was on the hook for two runs in his inning of work while Kruer held Lehigh hitless in two frames to notch his fifth save of the season.
 
For Lehigh, Liam O'Hearen went 2.1 innings in the start, allowing four runs (three earned) on two hits, while Jack Hamilton pitched 2.2 scoreless innings and Marcus Danchision gave up one run in his frame of relief.
 
Game Two Recap
Navy found itself down to start the nightcap, as a pair of first-inning walks set up Trystan Crawford to single in Dom Patrizi for Lehigh first run of the game, while Raffaele Rogers' two-run double in the third grew the lead to 3-0.
 
The Mids fought back in the fourth when Mason Ceccarelli walked to start the frame and Ty DePerno's single pushed him to third base, setting up Manning to drive in Ceccarelli on a single up the middle for Navy's first run. Two innings later, Navy mounted its rally when walks from Ceccarelli and DePerno led to Victor Izquierdo's single to plate Ceccarelli, while a Manning walk set up a two-run throwing error on Chris Klug's fielder's choice that brought in DePerno and Izquierdo to give Navy a 4-3 edge.
 
With Clancy retiring 17 of his first 19 batters faced in relief, the Mountain Hawks finally got to him in the ninth when a one-out Davis single, a Whitlinger hit-by-pitch and a Patrizi walk loaded the bases to force a pitching change, while Quinn's RBI single knocked in a runner to tie the game and Justin Butler's two-run single handed Lehigh a 6-4 edge. Not done, Lehigh grew the lead to 7-4 when Crawford safety-squeezed home Quinn later in the inning, while Cole Kochanowicz worked around a Ceccarelli walk to close out the Mids in the bottom of the ninth.
 
After starter Julio Ermigiotti held Navy to just two runs in five frames, David Andolina lasted 0.1 innings and allowed two unearned runs, while Danchision recorded two outs in his second outing of the day before giving the ball to Kochanowicz for three scoreless frames and the win.
 
Starting for Navy, Mikey Plummer gave up three runs in 2.2 innings, while Clancy pitched 5.2 innings and suffered the loss after being on the hook for three runs as well, with Jackson Beattie also allowing a run and Owen Beisty getting the final two outs for the Mids.
 
Game Notes
• Navy is now 104-55 in the all-time series with Lehigh.
• Clancy's 5.2 innings marked a career high for the rookie.
• Ceccarelli's four walks in the second game matches Navy's individual season high, set by Manning on March 2 against Sacred Heart.
 
Up Next
Navy will end the homestand with a 3 p.m. contest against Mount St. Mary's on Wednesday.