Army West Point Athletics
Army West Point
Quinnipiac
Army Blanks Quinnipiac, 12-0
March 22, 2011 | Baseball
Box Score
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Ben Koenigsfeld went 2-for-4 with a home run and five RBI, and four Army pitchers combined on a five-hit shutout as the Black Knights opened their 2011 home schedule with a convincing 12-0 victory over Quinnipiac on a blustery Tuesday afternoon at Doubleday Field.
Joey Henshaw helped pace Army's 13-hit attack, going 4-for-5 with three doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. David Darnell, who began to heat up near the end of the Black Knights' spring break trip to Florida, finished 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
Army (6-11) jumped out to an 8-0 lead after two innings and was never threatened by Quinnipiac (7-6).
Koenigsfeld set the tone for the game in the bottom of the first inning when he connected on a two-run home run to left field.
Army's offensive eruption continued in the second inning when the Black Knights sent 12 men to the plate and scored six times. Sean McIlroy started the rally as he walked to lead off the frame. Shaun Wixted followed with a bunt single and both runners moved up as the result of a wild pitch. Brent Peterson was then hit by a pitch to load the bases for Darnell, who delivered an RBI single to center field to score McIlroy with the first run of the inning. With the bases still loaded, Koenigsfeld blasted a three-run double to deep center field to make it 6-0. Henshaw then lined a double down the right field line to plate Koenigsfeld, and he scored on McIlroy's groundout.
The early run support was more than enough for Army starter Colin Briant (1-1), who allowed just two hits in five scoreless innings. The freshman righty struck out four batters and allowed just one walk during his outing.
The Black Knights manufactured a run in the fourth inning as Henshaw doubled to left center field, moved to third base on a wild pitch and stole home.
Army tacked on two more runs in the fifth inning when Darnell smacked an opposite field home run over the fence in right field. Peterson, who singled to start the frame, scored in front of Darnell as the Black Knights established a commanding 11-0 lead. Army closed the scoring in the seventh inning when Cody Murtle reached on an error, advanced to second base on a wild pitch and scored on Henshaw's third double of the game.
Scott Lucado came out of the bullpen to start the sixth inning and the junior tossed two scoreless frames. John Buckley pitched the eighth inning and Clint Moore worked the ninth as Army recorded its first shutout of the season.
Mickey Amanti went 3-for-4 to pace Quinnipiac's five-hit attack. Spencer Kane (0-1) allowed eight runs on seven hits in 1.1 innings and took the loss for the Bobcats.
Army resumes its 15-game homestand this weekend (March 26-27) when the Black Knights host Stony Brook for a four-game series. The teams will play doubleheaders on both days with Saturday's action slated to begin at noon and Sunday's twinbill scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
Game Notes: Army improves to 3-2-2 all-time versus Quinnipiac ... it marked Army's first shutout victory since blanking Bucknell, 4-0, last season (a span of 23 games) ... Army has scored 10 or more runs five times in 17 games this season after reaching that figure six times in 45 games last year ... the Black Knights turned four double-plays for the second time this season ... Joey Henshaw set a new career high with three doubles ... Henshaw equaled his career high with four base hits ... David Darnell's home run was his first of the season and fourth of his career ... Ben Koenigsfeld's home run was his first of the season and 13th of his career ...Koenigsfeld matched his career high with five RBI ... it marks the second time this season that the Black Knights have hit multiple home runs in the same game ... Clint Moore made his first pitching appearance of the season as he threw the ninth inning ... J.T. Watkins saw his modest five-game hitting streak come to an end, although he did walk three times ... Colin Briant established career bests with 5.0 inning pitched and four strikeouts ... Patrick Mescher made his collegiate debut when he took the field to play first base in the ninth inning ... Andrew Johnson received his first action of the season as he came on to catch late in the game ... he also received his first at-bat of the year ... Army wore its pinstripe uniforms with black caps for today's game.
