Pitching Powers Harvard Past Baseball in Game Two

Friday, March 18

Clearwater, FL

2 PM

Army West Point

8-10

Harvard

5-7

Harvard

Army West Point

Pitching Powers Harvard Past Baseball in Game Two

March 18, 2016 | Baseball

Box Score

CLEARWATER, Fla. – The Army West Point baseball team saw its season-long three-game winning streak snapped with a 5-3 loss to Harvard in the second game of Friday's doubleheader at Jack Russell Stadium.

The Crimson's (5-7) starting pitcher Nick Gruener was the story of the day, tossing a 101-pitch complete game. While his numbers don't jump off the page after giving up three runs (two earned) on nine hits and striking out four, his best quality was that he rarely ran a deep count. The junior right hander got himself into just six two-ball counts, including just one three-ball count the entire game.

Army's (8-10) hurler was no slouch either, as Jeremy Mortensen went six innings while scattering seven hits and one walk while fanning seven.

Harvard tried to rally with two outs in the opening frame with a double and a walk, but a strikeout from starter Jeremy Mortensen stalled the rally.

The Black Knights manufactured a run in the second inning just like they did in the first game: with Jon Rosoff leading off the inning by reaching base. Unlike the first game, Rosoff slapped a 1-0 single to center. He was sacrificed over by Stu Schley and was brought in by second baseman Josh White.

The Crimson rebounded the following inning with the tying run in the form of Connor Quinn coming up with the clutch two-out double, bringing in John Fallon. They kept up the intensity in the next inning, as Ben Skinner put a ball into the Jetstream, carrying the bean just over the left field wall for two more runs.

Sophomore left fielder John McCarthy, who was robbed of two hits on the day by Skinner, recorded his lone base knock of game two to leadoff the fourth. Rosoff executed a perfect hit-and-run, slapping the ball through the left side that was missing the covering shortstop and allowing McCarthy to advance to third. The Jupiter, Fla., native was plated by a single to left by Schley.

Harvard would not be deterred by Army's potent offense, determined to split the twin bill. The Crimson would add an insurance run in the sixth that started with a mishandled cover on a groundball to the right side. After a sacrifice moved the runner to second, a double off the right field wall by Trent Bryan allowed them to double-up Army, 4-2. A two-out single to center in the eighth inning stretched that lead to 5-2.

Faced with the same predicament as they were in yesterday, the Black Knights needed to score three runs to send it to extras, while four runs would end the game. There was not enough magic leftover, as Army plated one run in the final frame.

Army will conclude its four-game series against Harvard, as well as its annual trip to Florida, on Saturday, March 19, with opening pitch pushed up to 10 a.m.

For more information on Army West Point baseball, visit GoArmyWestPoint.com and follow @ArmyWP_Baseball on Twitter.

GAME NOTES: Snapped season-long three game win streak … secured first series split versus Harvard since 2013 … won series, 2-1 … Jon Rosoff (6th) recorded multiple hits in both games of doubleheader … recorded a team-high five hits through the two games … first three-hit game of the season … John McCarthy has recorded a hit in all 14 games he has played in this season … Jeremy Mortensen boosted his team-leading strikeout total to 27 … was Mortensen's fifth start of the season … second on the team with 23.0 innings pitched … moved ahead of Lehigh's David Bednar for the Patriot League lead in strikeouts looking with 12.