ANNAPOLIS, MD—Navy ran its season record to 15-4-1 following a home doubleheader sweep of visiting NJIT, 7-3 in seven innings and 4-0 in nine innings, Sunday afternoon at Max Bishop Stadium on the campus of the United States Naval Academy.
NJIT, which came into the weekend having won four in a row, falls to 7-11 on the season after losing a single game to Rutgers on Saturday at Navy and then the two losses to the Midshipmen on Sunday.
In Game One on Sunday, NJIT scored first with a run in the top of the second inning, but Navy answered with three runs of its own in the bottom of the frame. The Highlanders got a run back in the top of the fourth, trimming the deficit to 3-2, but Navy put up another three-spot in the bottom of the inning to take a 6-2 lead. NJIT closed the gap again with a run in the top of the fifth inning, but Navy got it back in the sixth to end with a 7-3 victory.
Freshman right-hander Noah Song (3-1) was the story for Navy in the second game, pitching a complete-game, nine-inning shutout on three hits and a walk, while striking out six.
The Midshipmen supported him with single runs in the second and sixth innings and two more insurance runs in the seventh.
NJIT got solid pitching efforts the second game from sophomores
Sean Lubreski (3-2), the starter who pitched seven innings and allowed five hits and four runs (three earned) and
Tommy Derer, who pitched a scoreless eighth inning in relief.
Each team got nine hits in the opening game, but Navy's starter, senior LHP Luke Gillingham (3-1), got the win after allowing eight hits and three runs in six innings. Senior Sam Sorenson finished with a scoreless inning of relief.
NJIT's starter, Brian Haberstroh (0-1), a junior pitching in college this season for the first time, lasted 3.1 innings and was tagged with the loss after allowing six hits, four walks, and five runs.
Brent Jones relieved and was charged with a run without recording an out and
John Saviano finished up, allowed two hits and a run in 2.2 innings for the Highlanders.
For NJIT, C
Cody Kramer and 2B
Johnny Malatesta each had two hits in the opener, while Kramer had a run batted in, as did SS
Justin Etts (0-for-3) and 3B
Tom Brady (1-for-3). Etts and Brady are freshmen.
Navy 1B Ben McGrath finished 2-for-3 with an RBI and seven other Midshipmen had one hit apiece.
RF
Matt McKinnon got NJIT started with a single leading off the second inning and he came home on Brady's two-out single.
The 1-0 Highlander lead was short-lived, however, as Navy took over with three quick runs, the first of which came in on a run scoring double by 3B Logan Knowles. The next two runs were the result of bases-loaded walks.
Kramer led off the fourth inning with a double to left field and later scored on a fielder's choice. Ahead 3-2, Navy had its second three-run inning of the day, keyed by a two-run double by RF Leland Salle.
The Highlanders got their last run of the game on a two-out run-scoring single by Kramer in the fifth inning.
With their freshman RHP Song dominating on the mound, the Midshipmen got all the scoring they would need in Game Two in the bottom of the second inning. McGrath (1-for-4) tripled with one out and scored on a two-out infield single by freshman 2B Matthew Wilcox (2-for-3).
Navy added an unearned run in the sixth inning and then scored twice in the seventh, lifted by run-scoring singles for Wilcox and CF Robert Currie.
For NJIT, Haberstroh, playing first base in the nightcap, was 2-for-3 and LF
Evan Pietronico had the other hit for the Highlanders.
NJIT, which went down 1-2-3 in six of the nine innings, never mounted a threat against Navy's Song.
The Highlanders, who have played their first 18 games this season away from home, are scheduled to play their first game in Newark on Wednesday at 3:30 pm, when they host Marist in a single non-conference game at Bears and Eagles Riverfront Stadium in downtown Newark.
