ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Despite some late theatrics to even the game in the ninth, the Navy baseball team (15-9) ended up suffering a 3-2 loss to Saint Joseph's (12-10) on Joey Gale's go-ahead RBI double in the top of the 10th inning Tuesday afternoon at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
With Gale registering two hits, including the game-winner, the Hawks' three pitchers kept the Midshipmen at bay for most of the non-conference tilt, with
Ty DePerno's three-hit contest accounting for half of Navy's hits and
Andrew Manning driving in both Navy runs on a pair of hits.
Saint Joseph's opened the scoring in the second inning when Jason Janesko stole third and came home on the resulting wild pitch, but the Mids immediately responded in the bottom half of the frame on Manning's first RBI single that plated DePerno.
The Hawks reclaimed a 2-1 lead in the third when it loaded the bases with no outs, as Joey Pagano got an RBI fielder's choice, but Navy starter
Ian Brown stranded the remaining runners to set the stage for a prolonged pitching duel.
With neither side scoring for the next five frames thanks to lights-out bullpen work, highlighted by four shutout innings from the Hawks' Matt Fitzgibbon and the Mids'
Jackson Beattie retiring all nine batters he faced.
Navy forced extra innings with a dramatic rally in the bottom of the ninth when DePerno led off with a single to left and pinch-runner
Tyler Bouchard quickly stole second base.
Andrew Manning followed with a clutch RBI single through the left side to plate Bouchard and knot the score at 2-2, but Sam Greer was able to get the next two Navy batters out and leave the winning run stranded.
While
Tyler Grenn entered for the top of the 10th and immediately got an out, an Eric Cross single set up Gale's one-out double down the left-field line, scoring Cross and breaking the 2-2 stalemate. Greer then worked around a lead-off hit-by-pitch to
Noah Stead in the bottom of the 10th to retire the next three Mids and secure the win.
Backing up Carson Magill's three-inning start that saw the righty allow one run on two hits while striking out six, Fitzgibbon surrendered just two hits in his four frames and Green notched the winning decision with his own three inning of relief.
Navy used five pitchers in the game, as Brown gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits over four innings.
Jackson Beattie kept the Mids within striking distance by retiring nine-straight Hawks, and
Timmy Virtudes and
Jackson Clark also added scoreless appearances out of the Navy bullpen before Grenn recorded the final three outs while taking the loss.
Game Notes
• Navy is now 1-1 in the all-time series with Saint Joseph's.
• Tuesday's defeat marks the first time all season the Mids have lost back-to-back games.
• DePerno extended his hitting streak to six games and his on-base streak to seven-straight contests.
• Brown's four innings pitched matched his previous career high from March 10 at Norfolk State.
Up Next
Navy will travel this weekend to West Point, N.Y., taking on rival Army in the Star Series. Friday's series opener is set for 1:05 p.m., while Saturday is slated for a 3:05 p.m. start and Sunday's finale will be at 1:05 p.m.
