Black Knights Drop Rubber Match To Duke

Sunday, February 26

Durham, N.C.

1 p.m.

Army West Point

2-5

Duke

3-5

Army West Point

Duke

Black Knights Drop Rubber Match To Duke

February 26, 2017 | Baseball

Box Score

DURHAM, N.C. – The Army West Point baseball team dropped its series finale with Duke here Sunday afternoon.

The Black Knights saw their host jump out to the 1-0 edge after back-to-back two-out doubles in the third. Duke then added two additional runs in the sixth inning to create a 3-0 gap between the teams. Army cut into the deficit in the seventh after senior Kris Lindner doubled home fellow classmate Alex Dickerson to make it a 3-1 ballgame.

Unfortunately, the Blue Devils earned the run back in the bottom half of the inning before tacking on an insurance run in the eighth to secure their third win of the season.

Jon Rosoff, Matt Hudgins and Lindner all posted multiple hits on the day. The threesome each finished 2-for-4 with Lindner earning the Cadets' lone RBI.

Junior Daniel Gibbons pitched 6.0 solid innings, allowing four hits and three runs (one earned) in the loss. Carter Van Gytenbeek came in for relief giving up two hits and two runs (one earned) in his 1.1 innings of work before Sam Messina closed out the final 0.2 innings with a clean sheet.

ARMY HIGHLIGHTS AND GAME NOTES

For the second consecutive game the Black Knights had three cadet-athletes post multiple hits on the day.
The Army pitching staff combined for five strikeouts.
Rosoff and Lindner both registered doubles for their third and fourth of the season, respectively.
The Cadets threw out Jalen Phillips at home after he attempted to complete a double steal with Peter Zyla.
Four pitchers were used from the Duke pitching staff in the game.
No one in the Blue Devils lineup recorded more than one hit on the day.

LINEUP BREAKDOWN
     Rosoff (C): 2-for-4
     McCarthy (LF): 0-for-4
     Dickerson (DH): 1-for-3 with a run and a walk
     Hudgins (RF): 2-for-4
     Lindner (2B): 2-for-4 with an RBI
     Giovinco (1B): 0-for-2
        - McKenna (PH/1B): 0-for-2
     Crompton (3B): 0-for-3 with a walk
     White (SS): 0-for-2
        - Martin (PH): 0-for-1
        - Hurtubise (CF): N/A
        - Titus (PH): 0-for-1
     Monge (CF/SS): 0-for-2

     Gibbons (P): 6.0 innings, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts
        - Van Gytenbeek: 1.1 innings, 2 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned run, 2 strikeouts
        - Messina: 0.2 innings, 1 walk

FACTS & FIGURES

The Black Knights posted one run on seven hits but notched a season-high four errors. Duke finished with five runs on six hits with no errors.
Army left seven runners on base, while Duke stranded six.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Duke finally broke the scoreless deadlock in the bottom of the third. Army recorded the first two outs of the inning but back-to-back doubles handed the Blue Devils the early 1-0 edge.
The two teams' pitchers then took over for the next two innings as no batter reached base in the fourth and fifth.
The home team tacked on two more runs in the sixth to create a 3-0 gap between the teams.
Army would not go away though, earning one run back in the top of the seventh. Dickerson started the inning singling up the middle. After a Duke pitching change, Hudgins followed things up with a single through the right side to place runners on first and second. Lindner then brought Dickerson home on the ensuing at bat with a double to right center for what would be the Black Knights' lone run of the game.
Duke tallied that run back in the bottom half to increase its lead back to three runs at 4-1 before scoring an insurance run in the eighth to ultimately secure the win.

UP NEXT

Army is back down in North Carolina for another three-game series with High Point on March 3-5. The Black Knights and Panthers kick off their weekend on Friday at 4 p.m. at Williard Stadium.