WEST POINT, N.Y. – Patrick Walsh's late two-run homer wasn't enough to complete the Midshipmen's comeback, as the Navy baseball team's early miscues led to a 4-3 loss to rival Army on Sunday afternoon at Johnson Stadium at Doubleday Field, giving the Black Knights the 2026 Star Series and the right to sing second.
Homering for the second-straight day, Walsh reached base in all four of his plate appearances to lead the Mids (16-11, 3-6 PL), but Thomas Schreck netted two RBI for the Black Knights (14-11, 6-3 PL). Backed up further by Trey Ates' impressive 7.2-inning start, Army used the victory to claim the baseball star in the 2025-26 all-sport Star Series presented by USAA.
Navy struck first in the top of the first inning, with
Victor Izquierdo hitting a one-out double and coming around to score on an RBI single to left-center by
Andrew Manning.
Army immediately responded in the bottom half of the opening frame by loading the bases with three walks before an out was recorded. Addison Ainsworth then grounded into a double play that allowed Chris Barr to score the Black Knights' first run, while Schreck followed with an RBI double down the left-field line to give Army a 2-1 lead.
The Black Knights extended their advantage in the third inning, as Schreck delivered another RBI double to left field to plate William Parker. Moments later, Schreck scored an unearned run on an errant Navy throw, widening the gap to 4-1.
With Ates cruising through the Navy lineup and the Mids'
Owen Phypers settling in after a rough start, the score remained stable until the top of the eighth inning. After
Ty DePerno drew a one-out walk, Walsh launched a two-run home run into the right-field netting off Ates, slicing the deficit to 4-3 and bringing on the Army bullpen.
Turning to starting designated hitter Josiah Overbeek out of the bullpen, Army's two-way rookie kept the Mids in check the rest of the way, working around
Tyler Cripe's one-out single and a hard-hit Izquierdo line-out to dead-center in the ninth inning to secure his third save of the season.
Ates (2-0) earned the win for the Black Knights by holding the Mids scoreless from the second through the seventh innings, wrapping up with three runs allowed on five hits while striking out five in his 7.2 innings. Overbeek then closed the game with his 1.1-inning save, tallying a pair of strikeouts.
With Phypers (3-3) taking the loss, the rookie starter finished his five innings by surrendering four runs (three earned) on three hits while punching out five Black Knights.
Tyler Grenn came on in relief to toss three scoreless frames, limiting Army to two hits while striking out three.
Game Notes
• Navy is now 137-138 in the all-time series with Army.
• While his hitting streak was halted at eight games, DePerno extended his on-base streak to 10-straight contests.
• Manning has recorded a hit in 10-straight games against Army.
Up Next
Navy will return home for a three-game series against Lehigh on April 4-5.
