Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Navy to Set Up Rubber Matchup for Star

Saturday, March 15

Annapolis, Md.

1:00 PM

Army West Point

4-10, 0-1

Navy

7-9, 1-0

Army

Navy

Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Navy to Set Up Rubber Matchup for Star

March 15, 2025 | Baseball

Box Score 1 Box Score 2 Photo Gallery Photo Gallery 2

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Army West Point Baseball used a combined two-thirds of an inning of relief pitching in Saturday's doubleheader split over the Navy Midshipmen, setting up a winner-take-all rubber matchup Sunday between the sides.

Sunday's winner will claim the Baseball Star in the Star Series presented by USAA. The originally scheduled 1:00 p.m. game Sunday has been. Oved up to 11:05 a.m. due to the threat of rain in Annapolis.

Justin Lehman had a complete game in the seven-inning Game 1, before Andrew Berg came two outs away from a complete game in Game 2, recording an out in the nightcap's ninth inning.

Game 1

Army took momentum into the late innings of the daycap in Annapolis but ran out of outs in the seven-inning contest, falling 4-3.

After the Mids took a 4-0 lead off unearned runs in the second inning and a two-run homer in the third, the Black Knights closed the game with three unanswered runs.

Zac Farrell logged a sacrifice fly in the fifth, before Mark Abell recorded a two-out RBI single to score Coleson Titus and cut the deficit to 4-2.

William Parker led off the sixth with a double, and John McKillop followed two at bats later with a similarly placed double to the left field corner to score Parker and make it a 4-3 game.

Army got Abell on base in the seventh as the tying run, but a double play ended the hope of a Black Knight comeback.

Lehman pitched all six innings in Game 1, collecting three strikeouts.

Game 2

Starting Andrew Berg was two outs from a complete game in the second game of Saturday's twin bill, but Robbie Penswick recorded the final two outs of the game to collect the save and a 5-4 win for Army.

Berg struck out eight and had career-highs in both innings pitched and strikeouts, as the Black Knights held on in the final inning to force a series rubber Sunday.

Army took its momentum from the end of Game 1 to jump out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first in Game 2. Parker's second RBI double of the doubleheader brought in Chris Barr, before a Lehman sacrifice fly scored Ainsworth.

After Navy tied the contest in the home half of the first with a two-run homer, Army retook the lead in the fourth with a Barr RBI double and an Ainsworth two-run single, each with two outs.

Army had 13 hits across the matchup, but stranded 12 runners on base. Still, the Black Knights had enough cushion to survive a two-run bottom of the ninth from Navy, with a Penswick strikeout ending the game with the tying run on base.

By the Numbers

17: From the third inning into the ninth, Berg retired 17 of 18 batters faced.

2: Barr, Parker, Quinlan and Abell each recorded two hits in Game 2, with the former two going 2-for-5 and the latter pair 2-for-4. Abell also logged a 2-for-3 line I Game 1.

Black Knight Notes

McKillop made his first career starts at first base.

For the second time in 2025, Lehman started a game on the mound without batting in the lineup, doing so in Game 1. He returned to the batting order in Game 2 as the right fielder.

Lehman pitched a complete game in Game 1, the first complete game of any length for Army this season to date, as well as his second career complete game vs. Navy. His appearance was also his third quality start of the season. Lehman's complete-game was the first by a Black Knight, regardless of innings in a game, since Matthew Ronnebaum record a seven-inning complete-game vs. Lehigh on May 4, 2024.

Berg's 8.1 innings pitched in Game 2 pitched was a career-high for the junior. His eight strikeouts also tied a career-high set at Bucknell March 25, 2024.

The program is 15-4 in its past 19 games against Navy. Army has also won 19 of its past 26 games over academy rivals.

Next Up

Army and Navy are set conclude the series Sunday at 11:05 a.m.

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.