ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Trailing by seven runs with only three outs left, the Navy baseball team pulled out a historic comeback in Saturday afternoon's opening game with an eight-run seventh inning to defeat Dartmouth, 8-7, before carrying that same offense into the nightcap for an 11-3 victory and the doubleheader sweep at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
 
The Midshipmen (10-4) started its big day by scoring six runs after getting down to their last out, capped off by Patrick Walsh's game-tying two-run single and Ty DePerno's walk-off base-hit, while the second game of the twin-bill featured three-hit efforts from Victor Izquierdo and Noah Ditas to support six strong innings from Matt Archibald against the Big Green (3-6).


Game One Recap
While starter Tyler Grenn and Dartmouth's Nate Isler traded scoreless frames early, the Big Green got to Grenn in the third when Alejandro Puig doubled and came in on Taer Rodriguez's own double down the right-field line two batters after, while a wild pitch scored Nico Banez before A.J. DeMastrie singled home Axel Riess later on to increase the lead to 3-0.
 
With Isler retiring 15 Mids in a row at point, Dartmouth added to its lead via Banez's RBI single to plate Chris Miller in the fourth, a two-run homer from DeMastrie in the fifth and Miller's sacrifice fly later in that same inning, growing to a 7-0 gap.
 
After John Carroll held the Big Green in check to start the seventh, the Mids started their big rally when Walsh got a one-out single and scored on DePerno's double into the left-center gap, ending Isler's outing. Facing reliever Aidan Plummer, Jake Hooten and Tyler Cripe both walked before Ditas singled to plate DePerno for Navy's second run. After a Chris Klug strikeout brought the Mids down to their last out, Mason Ceccarelli made Dartmouth pay for a dropped foul ball, working a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch and forcing another Big Green pitching change. A pair of bases-loaded walks to Izquierdo and Andrew Manning continued to chip away at the deficit, making it 7-5 for Walsh, who beat the shift with a two-run single through the right side and tied the game. With victory then in sight, DePerno battled back from an 0-2 count and punched a single into left field to drive home Manning for the 8-7 walk-off win.
 
Grenn lasted four innings in his second start of the season, giving up four runs on seven hits, while David Posey finished with three runs allowed over two frames in his college debut. Carroll then pitched a scoreless inning for the win, allowing a hit while recording a strikeout.
 
Isler ended up on the hook for two runs in his 6.1-inning start, allowing four hits but punching out eight Mids, before Aidan Plummer allowed four unearned runs in 0.1 innings and Nate Kugler allowed the final two unearned runs before he could record an out.
 
Game Two Recap
On the heels of Archibald escaping an early jam, Navy continued to swing in the first inning of Saturday's nightcap. A Ditas infield single and a Manning walk put two on, as DePerno then ripped a two-out single to drive home Ditas and caused a throwing error on the play by causing a rundown that allowed Manning to race home for a 2-0 lead.
 
The Mids broke the game open an inning later when Tyler Cripe smashed a 342-foot two-run homer down the right-field line, Ditas tripled before racing home on a wild pitch and Manning doubled off the right-field wall to score Izquierdo, raising the Navy edge to 6-0.
 
Milo Suarez broke the Navy shutout with his RBI double into left during the third inning, but Navy regained a six-run lead in the fourth when DePerno doubled off the left wall to knock in Izquierdo.
 
With Archibald cruising through his last three innings of work, Navy tacked on four more runs in the sixth, as Hooten, Izquierdo and Manning went back-to-back-to-back with RBI singles before Manning eventually scored on a wild pitch a few batters later.
 
As Archibald gave way to the bullpen to start the seventh, Dartmouth answered with a pair of unearned runs, as a Navy fielding error allowed Miller to score and a Suarez sacrifice fly two batters later brought in Sam Anderson to make it 11-3 Mids. While Dartmouth put a runner on in the eighth and ninth frames, Jackson Beattie worked around both for two scoreless innings of relief and closed out Navy's 10th win of the season.
 
Archibald finished with nine strikeouts and the winning decision, limiting Dartmouth to one run on four hits in his six frames, while Ryan Bibb allowed two unearned runs in his inning of action and Beattie recorded two strikeouts in his two frames of work.
 
On the Big Green side, starter Marco Dumsky tossed four innings in the loss, giving up seven runs (six earned), while Andrew Lambana pitched four innings in relief and surrendered four runs.
 
Game Notes
• Navy improved to 44-25-3 in the all-time series with Dartmouth.
• The walk-off comeback in Saturday's opener marks the largest Navy comeback since the Mids rallied from a six-run hole (down 7-1 after six innings) to post an 18-11 nine-inning win at UMES on April 12, 2023.
• Ditas' three runs in the nightcap established a new career high, while his three hits matched his previous career high (March 8, 2025 vs. UMass).
• Izquierdo's three-hit, three-run contest in the nightcap also matched his career highs.
• DePerno racked up a career-high three hits for the sixth time in his career during Saturday's opener.
• With Saturday's start, Archibald has now pitched back-to-back outings of six-or-more innings for the first time in his career.
• With four in the opening and five in the nightcap, Navy has had multiple stolen bases in nine of 14 contests this season.
 
Up Next
Navy and Dartmouth will close the series on Sunday, with first pitch set for