Baseball Drops Close Decision to Georgia in Athens Regional

ATHENS, Ga. – Down a run with just two outs to work with, Army West Point Baseball worked a walk from Coleson Titus and a single from Justin Lehman to put the go-ahead runs on base in the top of the ninth.

However, that would be the closest the Black Knights came against the No. 7 national seed Georgia Bulldogs, falling 8-7 in the opening round of the Athens Regional.

Army will play again Saturday, looking to extend its season in the double elimination bracket.

The Black Knights produced 10 hits and held a lead into the sixth inning.

Chris Barr gave Army an early lead in the opening frame with a two-run home run to right field.

After Georgia answered with a solo homer in the bottom of the first, the Black Knights went ahead 4-1 on a two-run home run from Titus in the third.

The Bulldogs got two runs back in the bottom of the third to pull within 4-3 and tied the game in the fifth inning.

Army reclaimed the lead in the top of the sixth, after Addision Ainsworth tripled and then scored on a Thomas Schreck sacrifice fly.

But the hosts would respond, plating three runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 7-5 lead.

The Black Knights rallied in the top of the eighth to tie the contest 7-7. A Thomas Schreck infield single proceeded an E5 to score Lehman, before Derek Berg's RBI groundout brought home Ainsworth.

Georgia however re-took the lead in the bottom of the eighth on a sacrifice fly, this time for good.

Matthew Ronnebaum started on the mound for Army, delivering 5.1 innings and three strikeouts.

Tanner Gresham delivered 1.2 frames out of the bullpen, in relief of Ronnebaum. It was a season-high in innings for Gresham, who made his season debut April 27 after recovering from Tommy John Surgery this past offseason.

Andrew Berg absorbed a one-out decision in his eighth inning outing. Steven Graver recorded the final two outs of the frame.

Army escaped multiple jams throughout the afternoon—keeping the game within arm's length. In the fourth, Ronnebaum induced a lineout to strand the bases loaded, and Gresham escaped the seventh inning unscathed after putting runners on the corners.

Additionally, in the fifth, the Black Knights limited UGA to one run, thanks to a pickoff play executed by catcher Derek Berg for an out at second base.

By the Numbers

2-for-4: Barr, Golinski and Lehman each led Army offensively with 2-for-4 days at the plate.

7: The Black Knights drew seven walks, split among seven batters.

.308: Army hit .308 with two outs.

Black Knight Notes

Both Barr and Titus logged their second home runs on the season.

Berg, Lehman and Ruta each extended their on-base streaks to 27, 25 and 24 games, respectively.

The one-run game was the closest decision for Army in the NCAA Tournament since facing Kennesaw State in the 2022 Hattiesburg Regional, and the seventh one-run affair in a regional in program history.

Next Up

The Black Knights will play in Saturday's elimination game against the loser of Friday night's Georgia Tech vs. UNC-Wilmington game. First pitch is set for 12:00 p.m. at Foley Field.

Follow the Black Knights

Follow Army Baseball on X @ArmyWP_Baseball and on Instagram @armywp_baseball. Fans can also like Army West Point Athletics on Facebook and learn more about baseball and other programs at goarmywestpoint.com.

Army West Point Athletics

Baseball Drops Close Decision to Georgia in Athens Regional

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Players Mentioned

Chris Barr

Andrew Berg

Derek Berg

Steven Graver

Tanner Gresham

Justin Lehman

Matthew Ronnebaum

Thomas Schreck

Coleson Titus

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