Around the Bases: Army and Air Force split Armed Forces Invitational Series

Army and Air Force Compete in Armed Forces Invitational

Fayetteville, North Carolina hosted the inaugural Armed Forces Invitational which included a two-game series between Army, Air Force, and Campbell. Logan Smith earned his second win of the year in the first service academy matchup with the Black Knights limiting the Falcons to just four hits in a 9-1 win Friday afternoon. The right-handed senior pitched his first complete game in the contest striking out six Black Knight batters in the victory. John McKenna went 3-5 and contributed three RBIs to include a two-run home-run. Anthony Giachin also added three hits and three RBIs to earn Army its second win of the season.

In game two of the series the Falcons capitalized on late-inning heroics by adding six runs in their final two innings at the plate to earn a 7-3 win over West Point. Cayden Zimmerman was 2-3 with two RBIs while Josh Leaser earned his first win of the season while coming in as a reliever in the sixth inning.

Army continued its splitting ways on the weekend going 1-1 against Campbell which included a 5-0 shutout loss and a 5-4 win over the Camels on Sunday. Andre Walden was 4-5 with two runs in West Point’s victory which was solidified in the seventh inning by way of a sacrifice fly by Anfernee Crompton. Will Hart earned his first save of the year as the Black Knights’ closer. Army’s win over Campbell was significant for two reasons as it was not only the 100th win for Coach Jim Forster but also the same milestone for fourth-year seniors. The Black Knights travel to Florida next weekend to participate in the Snowbird Classic.

Air Force also split with Campbell and managed to finish the weekend 2-2. The 3-9 Falcons managed to score seven runs in the 7th and 8th innings for a come from behind 8-5 win. The Falcons look to improve upon their three win season with a two-game series at Wichita State followed by a three-game home series against South Dakota State this upcoming weekend.

Navy Continues Winning Ways

After dropping their season opener the Midshipmen have turned around and won nine straight games including a three-game home sweep over UMass. Charlie Connolly picked up his first win of the year in a 10-0 shutout over the Minutemen which included eleven strikeouts in seven innings of work. Jacob Williamson owned the batter’s box in Saturday’s series opener going 3-5 with a triple and three RBIs.

Trey Braithwaite earned his second save in as many chances this season while he combined with Tommy Goodridge and Colin Jones (2-0) to give up just four hits in a 4-2 win in Sunday’s double header. Zach Biggers went 2-3 and added his first stolen base of the season.

Biggers continued his success at the plate in game three going 2-4 but it was Christian Policelli and Alex Smith who stole the show in the final game of the series. The duo combined to go 7-8 with eight RBIs and six runs in a 17-5 thrashing to sweep the series.

While the Midshipmen haven’t faced the most demanding schedule to start the season, Navy Head Coach Paul Kostacopolus must be thrilled with his squad’s start to the 2020 campaign. The Midshipmen will need that level of play this Friday as they host the Penn State Nittany Lions who are an impressive 9-2 so far this year.