Army Rallies Past Massachusetts, 10-9

Tuesday, March 15

Winter Haven, Fla.

3:00 PM

Army West Point

Massachusetts

Army Rallies Past Massachusetts, 10-9

March 15, 2011 | Baseball

Box Score

WINTER HAVEN, Fla. - Joey Henshaw and J.T. Watkins combined to go 8-for-10 with five RBI as the Army baseball team overcame a six-run deficit to defeat Massachusetts, 10-9, on Tuesday afternoon at sun-splashed Chain of Lakes Park.

Army (3-10) trailed 9-3 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, but the Black Knights scored four two-out runs in that frame and plated three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to take a 10-9 lead.

Ben Koenigsfeld came out of his left field position to pitch the top of the ninth, and the senior got out of a bases loaded jam to preserve the victory and pick up his first save of the season. Koenigsfeld induced a pop-up to start the inning, but the next three batters walked to load the bases with one out. Koenigsfeld calmly struck out the next two hitters to nail down the win, Army's second in a row.

"It was exciting to get back out there on the mound," said Koenigsfeld of his first pitching appearance of the season. "I think I had a little bit too much adrenalin going at first, since I struggled to throw strikes after that first batter. I was able to calm down and get it together, though, and it felt great to get back out there."

Henshaw went 4-for-5 with two doubles and three RBI, while Watkins went 4-for-5 with two runs batted in. Zach Price and Shaun Wixted both collected two hits apiece, with each player ripping a double in the contest. Koenigfeld's lone hit was a big one as he smacked a two-run single during the Black Knights' four-run sixth inning rally. Koenigsfeld, Price and Clint Moore each scored twice for Army, which reached double digits in runs in consecutive games for the first time since the 2009 season.

"That was one of the better wins that I've seen by our club in recent years, and obviously we've had some big ones," said Army head coach Joe Sottolano. "To battle back the way we did after getting behind early in the ballgame showed a lot of heart and a great deal of resiliency, and I am very proud of this group."

Ken Jackson (1-1) allowed just one run on three hits in 2.1 innings of relief to pick up his second career victory.

"Ken has made some adjustments since the beginning of the year, and it showed today," said Sottolano of his righty reliever. "He kept us in the ballgame and gave us the opportunity to win. Fortunately, we were able to take advantage of it."

Massachusetts (1-7) established an early 5-0 lead and it appeared as though the Minutemen were going to cruise to the win. Army trimmed UMass' lead to 5-3 after five innings, but the Minutemen scored four two-out runs in the top of the sixth to extend their advantage to 9-3.

Watkins led off Army's sixth inning by driving a single to left field. The Black Knights loaded the bases as Steve May walked and Price was hit by a pitch. Koenigsfeld then came through with a two-run single to center field, scoring Watkins and May. Henshaw followed by lining a two-run double down the left field line, plating Price and Koenigsfeld and trimming the Black Knights' deficit to 9-7.

After holding UMass scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings, Army completed its comeback in the bottom of the eighth with a three-run rally. Price began the inning by launching a double down the left field line. After Koenigsfeld walked, Henshaw blasted a double to left-center field to score Price and send Koenigsfeld to third base. After Koenigsfeld and Henshaw were both cut down at the plate on consecutive plays, Watkins strode to the plate with runners on first and second and two outs. The junior catcher delivered the game-tying hit, stroking a single to right-center field as Clint Moore came around to score from second base. Shaun Wixted then hit a groundball to third base that the UMass third baseman threw away, allowing Sean McIlroy to score the go-ahead run.

Koenigsfeld, one of Army's co-captains, was happy to see the offense continue to click after erupting for a season-high 14 runs in the Black Knights' victory over Ohio State on Sunday.

"It was important to build upon the momentum that we generated against Ohio State, and we did that today," said Koenigsfeld. "We got down early, but it was fun to come from behind and rally for the win. We had a lot of two-out base hits and two-out RBI, which was great to see. It was awesome to see that what we did against Ohio State carried over to today.

"This is what we envisioned when we came into the year," said Koenigsfeld of the team's recent offensive outburst. "We know that we can get even better, which is exciting. We are playing with a lot of energy right now, and we're excited to get back out there on Friday."

Henshaw, who raised his season batting average to .325 following today's performance, is feeling good about his approach at the plate.

"I'm just trying to relax at the plate and see the ball," said Henshaw. "We had a lot of guys step up today with J.T. (Watkins) having a big night and just about everyone in the lineup contributing. It was really important to build off the Ohio State win, and we are just going to continue to build for the rest of the season."

UMass opened the scoring in the top of the first inning as Matt Gedman walked, moved to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Peter Copa's RBI single to center field.

The Minutemen pushed across four runs in the top of the fourth inning to extend their lead to 5-0. Kyle Multner was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame, and he moved to second base on a wild pitch. Tom Conley drove home Multner with an RBI double, and Adam Picard followed with an RBI double of his own to plate Conley. UMass then loaded the bases following a base hit and a walk, and Gedman ripped a two-run double to cap the inning.

Army got two runs back in the bottom of the fourth as the Black Knights pulled to within 5-2. Henshaw started the rally as he singled up the middle with one out. Moore followed by ripping a double off the wall in left field, putting runners on second and third. McIlroy drove home Henshaw with an RBI groundout to shortstop, and Watkins singled home Moore with Army's second run. The Black Knights threatened for more as Wixted doubled down the right field line to put runners on second and third with two outs, but UMass starter Ryan Lubreski struck out Brent Peterson to get out of the jam and avoid further damage.

Army trimmed its deficit to 5-3 in the fifth inning as the Black Knights executed a double steal. Koenigsfeld began the uprising when he reached on a fielder's choice and advanced to third base on Henshaw's single down the right field line. Henshaw and Koenigsfeld then performed the double steal, with Koenigsfeld scoring on the play.

Massachusetts reclaimed the momentum in the top of the sixth inning, scoring four times with two outs to extend its advantage to 9-3. Copa blasted a two-run home run over the wall in left-center field and Adam Picard hit a two-run single to spur the rally.

Army held UMass off the scoreboard over the final three innings, however, giving the Black Knights the opportunity to stage its come-from-behind win.

Copa went 3-for-6 with three RBI to lead UMass, while Gedman and Conley both recorded three hits apiece. Leif Sorenson (0-2), UMass' third pitcher of the day, allowed Army's three-run eighth inning and was saddled with the loss.

Army will use the next two days to train at the New York Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, before resuming its game schedule on Friday (March 18) when the Black Knights play Dartmouth (11:30 a.m.) and Indiana (3 p.m.) in a split-doubleheader at Henley Field in Lakeland, Fla.

Game Notes: Army improves to 5-3 all-time versus Massachusetts ... Ben Koenigsfeld made a diving catch in left field to end the fourth inning, saving two runs in the process ... J.T. Watkins' four hits set a new career high ... Joey Henshaw matched his career high with four hits in the contest ... Henshaw equaled his career high with four doubles ... UMass starting catcher Tom Conley was ejected from the game in the sixth inning for arguing with the home plate umpire during Army's four-run rally ... both teams registered 14 hits in the game ... UMass committed the only error of the contest, and it was a big one as it allowed the go-ahead run to score in the bottom of the eighth inning ... Army, the home team in today's contest, donned its pinstripe uniforms and black caps.