WEST POINT, N.Y. – Tyler Cripe driving in four runs highlighted a big afternoon by the Midshipmen's rookies, leading the Navy baseball team (16-10, 3-5 PL) to a 5-2 victory over rival Army (13-11, 5-3 PL) on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field.
Backed by Cripe's two big extra-base hits,
Patrick Walsh's first collegiate home run and
Jackson Clark's eight-out save, the Mids' victory tied up the Star Series, setting the stage for a decisive series finale on Sunday against the Black Knights.
Following three scoreless frames from starter
Matt Archibald to start the game that included
Jake Hooten's diving catch to spoil a second-inning Army rally, Cripe broke the game open in the top of the fourth. After Navy rallied by putting on three-straight two-out baserunners, Cripe ripped a three-run double to left-center, bringing home the trio of fellow freshmen in
Noah Stead,
Will Howard and Hooten to give Navy a 3-0 advantage.
With Archibald working around runners in scoring position in the fourth and sixth, Walsh extended the Mids' lead to 4-0 in the seventh, crushing an opposite-field solo shot to the left-center power alley.
Army battled back in the bottom half of the seventh to make it a tight contest. Following a David Dubrule double and a hit batter, a Navy balk and a subsequent throwing error on another pickoff attempt allowed Dubrule to cross the plate, while Billy Parker later drew a bases-loaded walk to cut the Navy lead to 4-2. With the go-ahead runner on base, Clark then entered the game and successfully escaped the jam with a pop-out and his first of two strikeouts on the day.
Cripe provided a final insurance run in the top of the ninth with his own solo homer over the left-center wall, while Clark bounced back from a Chris Barr double in the bottom of the inning to get a foul-out and then struck out Parker to cap the Navy victory.
Archibald (4-3) earned the win with a stellar 6.1-inning outing on the mound, as he scattered just two runs (one earned) on four hits and striking out eight before handing the ball over to the bullpen. After
Spencer Stephens faced one batter, Clark pitched the next 2.2 innings to lock up his first college save.
Army starter Kevin Reavey (2-3) took the loss, pitching six innings with five strikeouts but allowing three unearned runs, while Anthony Ramirez gave up a pair of runs in his three frames of relief.
Game Notes
• Navy is now 137-137 in the all-time series with Army.
• Saturday marked Cripe's fourth three-hit game of the season and his sixth multi-RBI contest on the campaign.
• Saturday was Archibald's fifth-straight start working six-plus innings and his sixth-straight start with seven-or-more strikeouts.
• Clark has not allowed a run in his last nine appearances, while his 2.2 innings on Saturday marked his second-longest outing of the season.
• With Walsh and Cripe's solo shots, Saturday was the Mids' third multi-homer game of the year.
Up Next
Navy and Army will play the rubber match of the Star Series on Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
