CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Leaning on a pitching staff that allowed just 10 hits over 18 innings and a late offensive surge, the Navy baseball team (2-1) claimed the series win over Queens (1-2) with a doubleheader split Saturday afternoon at Stick Williams Dream Field, rebounding from a 2-1 loss in the opener to take the nightcap by a 12-4 score.
 
While Matt Archibald and Jackson Clark kept the Midshipmen in the first game with their pitching, the offense backed up a strong debut start from Owen Phypers in the second game of the day by setting a pair of single-game program records. As the team worked a program-record eight hit-by-pitches, Henry Mitchell accounted for half of those to break the previous individual Navy record.
 
Game One Recap
Navy grabbed the opening salvo for the second-straight game when Will Howard came up with two runners in scoring position in the second inning, as the rookie's RBI groundout up the middle allowed team captain Victor Izquierdo to cross home. Queens answered right back in the bottom of the second when Mitchel Basterrechea singled to start the frame and eventually came around to score on Michael Brunetti's infield single, bringing it even at 1-1.
 
With Archibald working out of jams in the third and fourth innings, the Royals finally got to him in the fifth when a Bradley Brown double into the gap and a wild pitch put Brown on third for Basterrechea's RBI groundout to short, handing Queens a 2-1 edge.
 
Archibald gave way to Clark in the sixth, who worked out of a two-runner situation in the seventh and then fanned three-straight batters in the eighth after the Royals put two runners in scoring position to start the inning. On the other side, Jake Young held the Mids in check over the final four innings, allowing just one Navy batter to reach base on an error, shutting the door on any rally attempt from the Mids.
 
Matthew Eagen got the win for Queens in a five-inning start, holding the Mids to one run on three hits while striking out two, and Young notched the four-inning save by no-hitting Navy in addition to one strikeout.
 
Archibald finished with two runs allowed on four hits in his five frames to receive the loss but struck out six in his season debut, while Clark surrendered two hits compared to six punchouts himself in a three-inning outing to begin his college career.
 
Game Two Recap
The nightcap opened with Phypers dueling with Queens' Jackson Gowan over the first three innings, as Phypers retired the first nine batters he faced to hand momentum to the Mids' offense in the top of the fourth.
 
Supporting his pitcher, Izquierdo roped a fourth-inning triple into the left-center gap to drive in Andrew Manning and scored himself moments later on Ty DePerno's RBI groundout, while the Mids continued to pour it on later in the frame when John Loudon and Chris Klug worked back-to-back bases-loaded walks to extend the lead to 4-0.
 
A solo homer from Justin Hudson in the fifth ended Phypers' no-hit bid, but the rookie hung in there and worked out of a jam that was aided by Klug throwing Matthew Suppa out at home to end the inning. Navy added some more insurance to its lead in the top of the sixth, as Manning's RBI single was followed by Klug scoring from third on a pickoff paly to first, while another Queens error on DePerno's fielder's choice and Tyler Cripe's bases-loaded walk later in the frame push the score to 9-1.
 
Turning it over to the Navy bullpen, Spencer Stephens struck out the side in the sixth before Sachin Gopal pitched 1.1 innings in his college debut and Aidan Healy made his first appearance in two years by going 1.2 innings to shut the door. With Jake Hooten lifting a sacrifice fly to plate Mason Ceccarelli in the top of the eighth and make it 10-1, Queens countered in the bottom of the frame when Gage Doss doubled down the right-field line and brought it to 10-2.
 
Continuing its offensive showing, Navy climbed to a 12-2 lead in the top of the ninth via a two-run Cripe single. Queens threatened in the bottom of the frame when Dylan Schaefer coaxed the bases-loaded walk and Kendall McDowell lined a sacrifice fly to plate Hudson, but Healy fanned Doss to clinch the series victory for the Mids.
 
Phypers notched the win by going five innings and striking out seven, holding Queens to one run on two fifth-inning hits. Stephens then pitched a perfect inning, Gopal followed with one run allowed in his 1.1 innings to go with three strikeouts and Healy nabbed one strikeout while giving up two runs in his 1.2-inning outing.
 
Gowan suffered the loss after allowing four runs in 3.2 innings, while Kensen Green did not record an out over three batters before Brayden Martino pitched a scoreless frame. Davin Pollard then went 0.2 innings and gave up four runs (three earned), Gibson Jones lasted 1.2 innings of one-run ball and Johnny Joseph surrendered two runs across two frames.
 
Game Notes
• Navy moved to 2-1 in the all-time series with Queens.
• This marked Navy's first series win on an opening weekend since taking the last two games of the 2024-opening series at Elon.
• The Mids' eight hit-by-pitches in Saturday's nightcap broke the previous record of seven, last achieved on April 25, 2025 at Lehigh.
• Mitchell's four hit-by-pitches in the second game broke the previous program record of three, last achieved by Michael Coritz at Bucknell on March 18, 2018.
• With 28 career hit-by-pitches, Mitchell now ranks fourth in program history for that category.
• Phypers is the first Navy freshman pitcher to earn a start in the season-opening series since Matthew Shirah tossed 2.1 innings against Coppin State on Feb. 24, 2021.
• Healy's 1.2 innings pitched were a career high.
• Izquierdo's three hits and three runs scored in the nightcap both matched career highs.
• Ceccarelli holds a six-game hitting streak dating back to last year.
• Ceccarelli, Klug and Mitchell all have six-game on-base streaks dating back to last season.
 
Up Next
Navy will return to Annapolis for its home opener on Tuesday, Feb. 17 against Delaware State. First pitch at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m.