Army defeated Navy’s baseball team, 3-2 and 10-0, to win the 2022-23 Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA. The Black Knights held the Midshipmen to two runs over 17 innings to secure a pair of victories and complete a sweep of the series at Terwilliger Brothers Field at Max Bishop Stadium.
In the first game, Army pitcher Mike Ruggieri limited Navy to one run over six-plus innings and was relieved by Robbie Buecker and Sean Dennehy, who combined to retire nine of the final 10 Mids to come to the plate, securing the win for the Black Knights. Eduardo Diaz had a two-hit performance with a two-run double for Navy. However, Army’s Sam Ruta went deep in the third inning and finished with a three-hit contest to pace the visiting offense in a 3-2 Army victory.
Army starter Matthew Ronnebaum’s complete-game shutout was the highlight of the second game. The Black Knights matched their strong pitching with six extra-base hits and secured a 10-0 win over Navy in the series finale, which ended in the eighth inning on a 10-run rule. Colin Smith had a two-hit nightcap, as he and Alex Smith both doubled for Navy.
The Army-Navy Star Series included 24 varsity competitions and Navy claimed the overall series 14-10. The Army-Navy Star Series is a season-long competition between the two service academies’ athletic teams. The series includes competitions in football, basketball, and baseball, among others.
Paul Kostacopoulos, Navy baseball coach, commented, “I thought the first game was a really good game. I mean, there were some clutch defensive plays and some clutch pitching, and it comes down to a 3-2 ballgame. We left too many guys on base, but I thought we competed well and it was just one of those games where we were one run short.”
“In game two, they just jumped us early, and we could never get our feet going. Their guy threw a really good game.”
The Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA began in 2020 and is scheduled to continue until 2023. USAA is the primary sponsor of the series. The series honors the fierce and long-standing rivalry between the two service academies and recognizes the dedication and commitment of the athletes who represent the institutions.
Both Army and Navy have highly competitive baseball teams, which have won Patriot League championships in recent years. The teams compete for the Patriot League regular-season title, and the winner of the league’s tournament earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship.