Army Sweeps Doubleheader From Lafayette

EASTON, PA.  – The Army West Point baseball team earned a twin bill sweep of Lafayette here Sunday afternoon to take the weekend series, 3-1.

The Black Knights won 5-4 in extra innings in the opener after Alex Dickerson doubled to bring home Jon Rosoff for the go ahead run in the top of the eighth. The contest was originally scheduled for seven innings. Then in the nightcap, the Cadets won 10-9 after Carter Van Gytenbeek closed out the final 1.1 innings on the mound to secure the win.

The doubleheader sweep marked Army’s first since recording back-to-back wins on March 12, 2016 over Massachusetts.

Both wins came in thrilling fashion as the Black Knights rallied in each contest to earn the victory.

In Game 1, it was a pitcher’s duel until the Black Knights broke the deadlock with a run in the fourth. The Leopards quickly responded over the next two innings in which they pulled in front 3-1. The Cadets would not go away though as Jacob Hurtubise sparked a two-out rally with a single up the middle in the top of the seventh. John McCarthy followed that up singling through the left side before Kris Lindner drilled a shot over the right field fence to bring home all three runs. His second long ball of the season handed Army the 4-3 edge.

Unfortunately, the home team went yard in the bottom half of the seventh to send the game into extras. But Army would persist, scoring the go-ahead run and eventual game-winning run in the top of the eighth to notch the dramatic victory.

During the second game, Lafayette opened up a 3-0 lead after three innings. The Black Knights would rally though, posting 10 runs over the next five innings to break the game open at 10-3. The Leopards would answer with six big runs in the bottom of the eighth to pull within 10-9 and make it a game again.

With the bases loaded and it a one-run ballgame with two outs in the bottom of the eighth, Van Gytenbeek came in for relief to pop John Marti up to the shortstop on his first pitch. That out ended the inning and halted the Leopards’ rally just shy. The rookie then closed out the final inning with two runners on to secure his second career save.

On the day, Lindner batted .600 after finishing 3-for-5 with three RBIs and three runs. McCarthy and Dickerson chipped in three hits as well with McCarthy accounting for four runs and Dickerson three RBI. Rosoff and Hurtubise also registered multiple hits on the day. Rosoff reeled in three RBI, while Hurtubise scored three runs.

Both Van Gytenbeek and Gibbons shifted to 2-1 on the year. In his two appearances during the twin bill, Van Gytenbeek allowed just one hit, while fanning four in his 3.0 innings of work.

Gibbons was impressive on the hill for Army in Game 2, giving up just four hits and three runs, two of which were earned, in 7.0 strong innings. The junior threw a season-high 116 pitches in the game, including matching his season-best in strikeouts with eight.

Army will head to Bucknell over the weekend for a four-game series with the Bison.