Baseball Splits Friday Games

Friday, March 15

West Point, N.Y.

12 PM

Army West Point

8-8

Fordham

5-11

Fordham

ARMY West Point

Baseball Splits Friday Games

March 15, 2024 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Cumulative Stats

WEST POINT, N.Y. – Army West Point Baseball was in action against two separate opponents Friday at Doubleday Field, recovering from a Game 1 loss to Fordham with a win over Fairfield in the second game.

Sam Ruta—last week's Patriot League Player of the Week—raised his home run total to eight on the season with a homer in each game, as Army moved to 9-8.

Game 1 vs. Fordham

The Black Knights couldn't overcome a five-run fifth inning for Fordham as the Rams dispatched Army 7-5 in the opening contest.

Starting pitcher Mike Ruggieri struck out six batters over 4.1 frames, but allowed the go-ahead run and took the unfavorable decision. Only two of his runs allowed however were charged as earned runs.

Coleson Titus had a two-out RBI single to get Army on the board first, before Ruta made it 4-0 with a three-run home run an inning later.

Ethan Ellis added an RBI in the third, but the Black Knights surrendered six unanswered runs and could not claw their way back into the game.

Trey Ates provided six strikeouts and 4.2 innings out of the bullpen, allowing just one run.

Game 2 vs. Fairfield

Army's bats came alive in the latter portion of the late afternoon matchup against Fairfield.

After 11 consecutive open frames dating back to the first game Friday, Ruta capitalized on a leadoff walk drawn by Derek Berg in the sixth inning, hitting a two-run home run as Army took a permanent lead on its way to a 6-2 win.

Ellis drove in another run in the sixth on a squeeze play, before Derek Berg and Braden Golinski added home runs in the seventh.

Starting pitcher Steven Graver struck out three over 4.1 innings, before turning the ball to Bryce Brownlee, who pitched three innings and earned the win. Andrew Berg induced the day's final five outs.

By the Numbers

2: Ruta launched two home runs across both games, going 3-for-7 combined with five RBI.

3: Three hitters logged multiple hits in the win over Fairfield, with Berg and Titus each going 2-for-4 and Golinski going 2-for-5.

5: Five different Black Knights each sole a base in a game Friday.

12: Army's pitchers combined for a season-high 12 strikeouts against Fordham.

Black Knight Notes

Army improved to 4-2 in games on days with more than one game.

William Parker upped his on-base streak to 15, with Berg, Golinski and Ellis each following at 13.

Next Up

The Black Knights are on the road the rest of the weekend, with a 2:00 p.m. first pitch at Fairfield Saturday and an 11:30 a.m. start Sunday at Fordham.

Army returns home next week to face Siena on Wednesday.

Follow the Black Knights

Follow Army Baseball on X @ArmyWP_Baseball and on Instagram @armywp_baseball. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about baseball and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.