When Army West Point Baseball and the Navy Midshipmen get together, nothing is easy, and everything is earned.
With the teams having split Friday and Saturday's contests to put the series on the line Sunday (March 29), as well as the baseball 'Star' up for grabs in the Star Series presented by USAA, the third base side of Doubleday Field cheered in anticipation on every out until the 27th and final out was recorded to seal a 4-3 win over the Midshipmen, and the series victory.Starting pitcher Trey Ates set a career-high in innings pitched with 7.2 on Sunday. He delivered 129 pitches, working around a first inning run allowed to settle into the game and keep Navy from scoring again until the eighth. Striking out five on the day, the Dallas native faced the minimum in the second and fifth innings, earning the win and moving to 2-0 on the year.Ates received run support from Army's bats in the first and third innings. The bottom of the first saw each of the first three Black Knights at the plate take walks, enough to plate a run on Addison Ainsworth's ensuing at bat despite grounding into a double play. Thomas Schreck then moved the line with an RBI double to make it 2-1.In the third, Schreck recorded his second RBI double of the contest, plating William Parker from first base with two outs. Carter Hewitt then reached on a fielding error to allow Schreck to score, making it 4-1.Navy did not go away quietly, and with one out in the eighth, the Midshipmen launched a two-run home run to right field, closing the gap to 4-3. Ates then recorded the second out of the frame before turning the ball to Josiah Overbeek, looking to stake his claim to a save.He did just that, working around a walk and stolen base in the eighth and a base hit in the ninth, and inducing a routine ground ball to first for the final out of the game and Army's right to sing second Sunday. The win moved Army to 14-11 overall and 6-3 in the Patriot League. The Black Knights have won seven of their past eight games.